Education
1.6m To Sit For 2023 May/June WASSCE …As Exam Begins Today

This year’s May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) begins today, May 8th with a total of 1,621,853 candidates from 20,851 secondary schools across the country expected to participate in the exercise.
The head of the National Office of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan, made this disclosure at a news conference last Thursday in Lagos.
He said out of the total number of candidates expected, 798,810 (representing 49.25%) are males while the rest are females, meaning that females sitting for the exam are more than males just like that last year.
He said candidates would be examined in a total of 76 subjects and up to 30,000 teachers from various secondary schools nominated by the various state ministries of education would serve as supervisors.
Declaring that the exam would take place as planned across the states of the federation and the federal capital territory, Areghan noted that WAEC had made a solid arrangement with security agencies including the Police and soldiers to provide security around schools, particularly in insecurity-prone areas.
He equally explained that even though candidates were expected to register with their National Identification Numbers as a policy of the Nigerian government, the council had not because of that denied any candidate without it from registration.
He, however, decried the non-compliance by some schools particularly the privately owned ones with registration deadlines.
According to him, many of them slowed down our registration deadline process as they come up with requests for extensions now and then so as to enable them to smuggle in external candidates which is against the rules of the May/June school-based examination.
“Some of them are also fond of uploading fictitious Continuous Assessment Scores of students to the CASS Portal but we will beat them to it by using our Scaling method during grading,” he noted.
Areghan warned all candidates and their parents, schools, exam officials and the operators of the so-called ‘miracle centres’ and ‘rogue websites’ against indulging in any form of malpractice in the examination.
He said WAEC as an institution has zero tolerance for misconduct, especially cheating, in its various exams and would not spare anyone found culpable of the act.
He, however, asked the students to go online on their own using a dedicated address given as https://request.waec.ng to check the data uploaded on their behalf by their schools to confirm their correctness and effect correction if there is any error.
He said it is far better and easier to do so now than to wait till during or after the exam when such would be very difficult and may attract a fee.
He said the results of the exam, which is expected to end on June 23rd, would certainly be released after 45 days of the last paper.
Education
Otu Inaugurates UNICROSS, UEE’s Governing Councils

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu has inaugurated the newly constituted Governing Councils of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) and the University of Education and Entrepreneurship (UEE), Akamkpa.
At the ceremony on Thursday in Calabar, the Governor urged the members to drive institutional excellence, ensure accountability, and align with global best practices.
Governor Otu acknowledged that UNICROSS had long suffered from what many perceived as gross neglect, particularly in terms of physical development.
“After a deep thought and consultation, and having considered all available facts and evidence, I am today opening a new chapter in the relationship between government and its institutions of higher education,” the Governor declared.
He emphasised that while his administration is committed to a renewed focus on higher education, this attention must be matched with transparency and responsibility by the universities’ management.
The same expectation, he said, applies to the University of Education and Entrepreneurship in Akamkpa.
Governor Otu stated that the appointments into both councils and management were carefully considered and reflect the state’s finest minds and seasoned professionals.
“I have taken pains in appointing some of the best that the State has in both the Governing Councils and Management of the institutions. I implore you to apply your wealth of experience in making the institutions world-class,” he charged.
He also stressed the importance of respecting the distinct roles of Councils and management, pointing out that most university problems emanate from role conflict or interference. He tasked each of the councils to stick strictly to its clearly defined functions.
The Governor encouraged council members to leverage their networks to attract new sources of funding and value to their institutions.
“Do not limit yourselves to already known threads of resource sources.”, he said.
Education
Kaduna Cuts Tertiary Tuition Fees By 50%

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has announced a 50 percent reduction in tuition fees for all Kaduna State-owned tertiary institutions, describing it as a major step toward removing barriers to higher education.
Speaking through his Principal Private Secretary, Professor Bello Ayuba, at the inauguration of the Kaduna State University Chapter of the Kaduna State Students Union, the Governor said the policy has made it easier for students from low-income backgrounds to pursue university education in the state.
He expressed gratitude to the students for presenting him with the Sword of Honour Award and for recognising the achievements of his administration, which were highlighted during the event’s public lecture.
He promised, “Government will continue to support students and the youth generally to realize their ambitions. On your part, make sure that an atmosphere of peace prevails to allow for government’s development programmes to run their full course.’’
The Governor advised students not to allow agents of disunity and chaos to use them to destabilize their communities and steer them away from their career goals.
Governor Sani reminded the students and lecturers at the event that ‘’no meaningful development can be achieved in a state of chaos, disunity and mutual mistrust.’’
However, he said that ‘’going by your conduct over the period that I have been at the helm of affairs of our state so far, you are reliable partners of progress and I can count on you every step of the way.’’
The governor recalled that Kaduna State was under siege owing to the insecurity in some of the local government areas, which had dire consequences on agricultural and business activities.
He noted that the security challenges have now been drastically reduced owing to the combined commitment of security agencies, resulting in safer high ways, people returning to farms and the opening of local markets.
120 Oldest Secondary Schools in Nigeria
The governor further said that the Birnin Gwari cattle market which had been closed for over 10 years, has been reopened, so have the other markets in security challenged areas in Giwa local government.
Education
Easter: VC Preaches Love, Compassion, Kindness

The Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, has called on the university community to reflect on the season’s significance and embody the values of love, compassion and kindness.
In his Easter message, Prof. Zeb-Obipi said, “As we celebrate Easter, I want us to take a moment to reflect on the significance of this season. Easter is a time of renewal, hope, and joy, reminding us of the triumph of life over adversity.”
The Vice Chancellor expressed optimism about the university’s future, stating, “It brings the reassurance and hope that our tomorrow as a university would be better than our today and yesterday.”
He urged the community to strive for excellence, noting that the values of love, compassion and kindness embodied in Easter should inspire them to make a positive impact in the world.
Prof. Zeb-Obipi commended the dedication, resilience and passion of staff and students, saying, “I am grateful for the dedication, resilience and passion that our staff and students bring to our university community. Your hard work and commitment are the driving forces behind our pursuit of excellence in teaching, learning, research, community service, and other valuable extra-curricular activities.”
He emphasised the importance of community, empathy and support, stating, “As we celebrate Easter, let us remember the importance of community, empathy, and support for one another. May we continue to foster an environment that promotes inclusivity, creativity, and intellectual curiosity with a sufficiently bonding sense of community.”
The Vice Chancellor concluded by wishing everyone a joyous Easter celebration with loved ones, praying, “May this season bring you peace, happiness, and spiritual growth.”
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