Nation

Organisation Tasks Kaduna On Foundation For Pupils

Published

2 years ago

March 29, 2023

The Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) programme has urged the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board to strengthen foundational skills in primary schools.
Making the call on Monday in Kaduna during the dissemination of Baseline Data on Teaching and Learning outcome in primary schools in Kaduna State, PLANE said it would improve learning outcomes.
The State Team Lead, PLANE, Ms Diana Agabi, explained that the assessment indicated areas where PLANE school level technical support to the state would also help to improve education delivery.
Agabi added that the assessment conducted between November and December 2022 covered literacy and numeracy learning levels, inclusive and safe quality classroom instructions, teachers and pupils and attendance rate.
Other areas, she said, included the availability and use of safeguarding policy and availability and use of school report cards.
Also, Mr Musa Adeyemi, PLANE Research and Learning Manager, explained that the baseline study was conducted in 43 primary schools with focus on primary two, four and six in six implementing Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Adeyemi identified the LGAs as Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Soba, Sabon Gari, Jaba, and Sanga.
He explained that a total of 758 pupils and 115 school managers were interviewed in the course of the study in 43 schools.
Presenting the key findings, Mr Gbenga Bamidele, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, PLANE, said that the findings showed a low learning achievement among pupils.
Bamidele said that 50.6 per cent of Primary Two pupils were unable to identify Hausa letters, while 91.6 per cent were unable to identify Hausa words.
He also said only 17.5 per cent of the pupils could identify a number, while 85.4 per cent of Primary Four pupils were unable to identify a single word in English language.
According to him, the low starting points indicate the need for Kaduna SUBEB to build foundational skills from the beginning of primary school.
On school, teacher, and pupil demography, Bamidele said the findings showed the need for government support for the provision of a conducive environment for learning.
He also called for support to teachers in the efforts to provide the highest level of quality and inclusive instruction in their classrooms.
“A concentrated effort should also be made to provide a more inclusive environment, including identifying Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Focal Persons at the school level.
“The enrolment of pupils with disabilities is currently low, and school facilities are not available to support their physical inclusion.
“Government should, therefore, ensure appropriate facilities for learners with disabilities,” he said.
This may have measurable effects on learning outcomes”, he said.

The monitoring and evaluation officer also called on the government to provide coaching and mentoring opportunities for all teachers as a strategy to provide individualised teacher professional development.

He also urged the government to leverage on family support for learning outside the schools for lasting impacts on learning outcomes.

The Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Halima Lawal, said that assessment would inform the policy and decision makers in areas where deliberate effort and resources should be channelled.

Lawal, who was represented by the Director, Planning and Physical Development, Mr Salisu Lawal, said the baseline had indicated the challenge, adding that the next phase of assessment should show a significant improvement.

PLANE is a seven-year UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office-funded programme designed to drive inclusive education in Nigeria with improved learning outcome.

Nation

Council Boss Impeached 48 Hours To LG Polls In Katsina

Published

1 week ago

February 14, 2025

The Tide

The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.

Nation

Association Tasks Fubara On Rumuwoji Market Phase Three

Published

1 week ago

February 14, 2025

The Tide

The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.

Nation

AfDB President Denies 2027 Presidential Ambition

Published

1 week ago

February 14, 2025

The Tide

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.