Rivers

Don Faults Nigeria’s Educational System …Advocates Deschooling To Attain Educated Society Status

Published

4 weeks ago

June 7, 2024

A lecturer in the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Professor Edward Ezebuaghom Adiele, has faulted Nigeria’s educational system, saying it awards degrees without the awardees acquiring commensurate skills.
Speaking as the 55th Inaugural Lecture of the university on the topic, “Epidemiology of the Paralytic and Epileptic Nigeria’s Education System: Towards Epistemological Oriented Based Economy”, at the university’s auditorium, Professor Adiele accused universities of having anti-educational effect on the society by their “role in awarding certificates, diplomas and degrees without commensurate knowledge and skills by those who possess such certificates and degrees”.
According to the Professor of Educational Planning, “schooling is not the only means of acquiring education, hence associating education with schooling portends serious danger to the society.
“It reduces the chances of the citizens acquiring other forms of alternative education that can be acquired outside the school environment which are equally important for individual survival and contribution to societal development”
He stated that “the erroneously held idea about schooling and education also account for the reason society looks down on people who did not attend school, but have developed their potentials and talents through other forms of education.
According to him, approximating education to schooling also negates the fact that schools may not be the best place to produce the best craftsmen, artisans, businessmen, musicians, footballers, film actors and actresses that are badly needed for economic development.
“It is because of the wrong idea of taking schooling for education that every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to empty themselves into educational institutions even when they do not possess the requisite aptitude for higher education schooling”, he emphsised.
Professor Adiele noted that funding of education in Nigeria is another major challenge that is seriously responsible for the numerous ailments the education system is suffering from.
“Budgetary allocations to education, which on the average, has never exceeded 10 percent, does not show any seriousness on the part of government in Nigeria to provide education to the citizens when compared to other less endowed countries like Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, Tunisia and Morocco where budgetary allocations to education range between 19 and 20 percent”, he stated.
The university teacher continued that poor funding of education sector is responsible for poor production of quality manpower to meet the economic development needs of Nigeria.
“These daunting challenges place the education system at a crossroad and at most the system can best be described as paralytic and epileptic”, he said.
The 55th Inaugural Lecturer hinted that the academic curriculum does not take into cognisance the employers of labours’ need “and this has made it difficult for university graduates to fit into the world of work.
“The course content of most tertiary institutions in Nigeria lacks entrepreneurial contents that would enable graduates to become job creators rather than job seekers”.
In addition to the stated challenges faced by Nigeria’s education system, he also identified the role of strikes.
“The incessant strikes by tertiary institutions has also resulted in the production of half-baked graduates who are unemployable”, he stated.
While informing that Nigeria holds the world record of having the highest number of dropouts from school with 20.5 million out of school topping the list of 12 other countries, he hinted that the number may have increased further by now.
“The Nigerian school system has not been able to develop the individual into a sound and effective citizen. The country has remained in the status of a developing economy for the past 47 years because of obvious weak education system”, he emphasised.
He, however, stated that although the causes of the paralytic and epileptic education system are numerous, the Nigerian education system can still be salvaged through a holistic education.
Adiele asserted that the cure to the identified ailments lies within the education system itself.
He said it can be done “by overhauling the system and redirecting it towards epistemological (knowledge) oriented based economy, if at all the country is ready to address the inherent development challenges”.
To attain this, he advocated the imperativeness of a paradigm shift from the old orthodoxy of over reliance on schooling alone as a means of acquiring education, to opening the education market to include the non-formal structures such as apprenticeship schemes, trades and the use of practical skills as a means of certification of claims of knowledge acquisition.
“Any society that genuinely seeks education as a means of effecting national development must do so within the ambit of educational planning framework that is anchored on rational decisions that seek to domesticate the school curriculum to reflect the peculiar Nigerian environment, develop a sound educational information management system, the planning of the non-formal education sector and develop a sound framework for educational financing, and finally, increasing access and equity in educational provision”.
He urged educational planners and policy makers to wake up and assume their rightful position of planning the right education for national survival.
In his remarks, the Acting Vice Chancellor of IAUE, Professor Okechuku Onuchuku, who agreed that the educational system suffer paralytically and epileptically, stated that for anything to be considered educational, “it must transmit cultural heritage to younger generation, develop skills and contribute to nation building”.
He stressed the need to take education and research seriously for growth and to minimise wastage in the system.
Professor Onuchuku observed that the country is stagnated because Nigerians are more of consumers than producers and that the overdependent nature is why the foreign exchange rate is very high.
He stressed the need to deemphasise the importance attached to certificates and to encourage and promote informal education, job creation and trade to reduce the mismatch between graduates and industries and for development.

Sogbeba Dokubo

Rivers

NAFDAC Shuts Four Unregistered Bakeries In Rivers

Published

19 hours ago

July 5, 2024

The Tide

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed four unregistered bakeries in Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas of Rivers state.
The agency said the four bakeries were operating without registration licences and with unhygienic practices.
The NAFDAC Director, South-South Zone, Chukwuma Oligbu, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Oligbu said the discovery followed the agency’s bid to stamp out the prevalence of quack and substandard bakeries in the state and the zone in general.
He added that after shutting down the bakeries, the owners were directed to the NAFDAC zonal office in Port Harcourt for questioning.
While noting that investigation was ongoing, Oligbu warned that defaulters of the agency’s extant regulations risk prosecution and possible jail term if convicted.
The statement read, “The bakeries were operating without registration licences and with very poor hygienic practice.
“Pans with dough were being kept on the floor, the make shift buildings were with open and uncovered windows, bakery workers were not well kitted with Personal Protective Equipment.
“Lister generator sets were sited inside the production rooms, and there were no factory flow, etc.”
The NAFDAC Director said the bakeries shut down includs: Reigns Bakery – Okabie Street, Off Bakery Road, Rumuigbo in Ohio/Akpor LGA, Dvine Freedom Bread – 3, Omasi Street, Rumuomasi Street 1, Port Harcourt.
The others are De Heroes Bakery – Wonda Street, Psychiatric Road in Obio/Akpor LGA and The Lord’s Abundant Bakery – 5, Elder Ezebunwo Street, Off Obi Wali Road, Rumuigbo in Obio/Akpor LGA.
“The four bakeries visited were subsequently shut down, and the owners directed to report at the Zonal office for questioning while investigations continue.
“Samples of the produced bread were taken for laboratory analysis,” the statement added.
He implored producers of NAFDAC regulated products to seek guidance by visiting the agency’s office for advice in setting up their facilities and businesses.
The agency threatened to make Rivers State and the entire South-South Zone uncomfortable for recalcitrant and illicit producers who do not want to abide by NAFDAC standard.

Chinedu Wosu

Rivers

RSG Assures NYSC Of Support …As 1,771 Corps Members Begin Service In Rivers

Published

19 hours ago

July 5, 2024

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) of his administration’s support in positively shaping the future of youths in the country.
Governor Fubara gave the assurance on Tuesday at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Nonwa-Gbam, in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, during the swearing-in ceremony of the 2024 Batch B Stream 1 Corps Members deployed to the State.
A statement by the Head of Press Unit, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Juliana Masi, said a total of 1,771 Corps members were sworn-in during the ceremony.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Hamilton Amadi, Sir Fubara noted that he would continue to make conscious effort “to give priority to the welfare of youths by providing them an enabling environment to discover and harness their God-given potentials”.
He commended the management of the NYSC for their strategic improvement to sustain the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, designed to empower Corps members and make them self-sustainable at the end of the service year.
Earlier, the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Mr. George Mfongang, commended the Corps members for their honest and patriotic sacrifices in nation building in the last 51 years.
He urged them to see their mobilisation into the National Service as a rare privilege that should motivate them to work hard to entrench unity, socio-economic development, peace and prosperity of the nation.
The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Hon. Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, represented by Justice Opufaa Ben-Whyte, administered the Oath of Allegiance on the Corps members at the occasion.

Rivers

FRSC Decorates Two Honorary Special Marshals In Rivers

Published

19 hours ago

July 5, 2024

The Tide

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), on Wednesday, decorated two Honorary Special Marshals in Rivers State Command.
In a remark at the brief ceremony in Port Harcourt, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Muhammed, affirmed the continued commitment of the corps to society and humanity.
The decorated honorary special marshals were King John Dimkpa, the Nkpe of Alesa Kingdom in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers, and Mrs Salome Onduku.
Muhammed, represented by the Zonal Commanding Officer, RS6HQ, Assistant Corps Marshal, Henry Benamaisia, described road safety as a shared responsibility of the society all over the world.
According to him, respected citizens partner with government to effectively handle societal challenges, therefore, volunteers are needed as key partners in development.
“The two persons we are decorating today are citizens with proven track records.
“It is worthy to note that volunteerism comes with sacrifices to society as an individual volunteer and this cost your time and resources”, he said.
The corp marshall said the new special marshals were given the honour due to their selflessness and support to society through the corps.
He expressed gratitude to the volunteers for their strength and support to the corps, saying that “their dedication had been acknowledged”.
Mohammed emphasised the need for volunteers who would play the role as key partners in societal development to join the corps.
He encouraged the newly decorated marshals to remain committed in the discharge of their duties.
Earlier, the FRSC Rivers State Sector Command, Christopher Kuje, said the decoration of the two honorary special marshals was to recognise their immense contributions to road safety in Rivers and in the country at large.
Kuje said the marshalls had helped in achieving the goals and mandates of the corps to save lives on the road through the provision of infrastructure and operational facilities.
He urged the decorated honorary special marshals to do more, saying that their selfless service was what spurred the agency to honour and recognise them.
He further charged the public to emulate the special marshals by using their time, talents and treasures to promote the agency.
The National Coordinator, Special Marshals Volunteers in Nigeria, Dr John Ugbebor, while decorating the two persons, pledged that they would continue to be committed to serve humanity.
Ugbebor commended the marshals and others in service for their selflessness and support to society through the corps.