Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, on Thursday, announced free education for students of senior secondary in public schools in the state.

Soludo made the announcement in Awka while meeting with principals and head teachers in public primary and secondary schools.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Sept. 21, 2023, the governor announced free and compulsory education from nursery to junior secondary in public schools in line with his solution-free education policy.

Against this backdrop, the governor while meeting with principals and head teachers in public schools stated that from next week, the free education policy would be available to students of senior secondary in public schools.

He said this would further increase children’s access to education and ensure the effective development of their personality, talents, mental and physical abilities.

“I want to assure you that even with the resource constraint; our administration will continue to work very hard to deliver on its mandate.

“I’m giving a directive that students in senior classes, who have already paid their N5,000 tuition fees for this term should be refunded,’’ he said.

He reiterated his administration’s dedication to human capital development and promised to continue making strides in this area.

Soludo also said that the government would commence payment of the N70, 000 minimum wage in October.

“We remain committed to investing in our people and this new minimum wage and free education initiative are testaments to our resolve.

“This move is expected to have a significant impact on the lives of workers and students in Anambra, improving their standard of living and access to quality education,’’ he said.

Oyedepo urges FG to develop education modules to address challenges

The General Overseer of Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has called on the Federal Government to make concerted efforts to develop education modules to address current challenges in the country.

Oyedepo, who is also the Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State,  made the call in an interview with the  News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ota.

The Chancellor said that it was time to reconstruct the intellectual armoury and take up intellectual arms that would turn educational institutions in Nigeria into solutions centres.

“What is the value of formal education and chains of degrees that proffer no solutions to numerous challenges confronting the country?

“Our universities should become like engineering workshops where we programme and deprogramme the intellectual system of young people for productive and value-adding life.

“It is time for the universities to be repositioned to provide intellectual solutions to issues of concern to government, commerce and industry,” he said.

Oyedepo emphasised the need to open up “solutions centres” that would command the attention of the public and industries in our various sectors.

The chancellor added that the nation must leverage this to deal with issues like unemployment, insecurity and others, confronting the country.

“Waiting never solves a problem, it is taking appropriate steps that do.

“No nation runs away from a problem to solve them but confront them.

“I believe the nation must review the course content and make them relevant to industry, commerce and the public sector,” Oyedepo said.

FG inaugurates new university of education in Plateau

The Federal Government has inaugurated the recently upgraded Federal University of Education, Pankshin in Plateau.

The federal government had in 2022 approved the upgrading of the institution from a college to a university of education.

This followed a Bill sponsored by Mr Yusuf Gagdi, representing Pankshin/Kanke/ Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau.

The Bill was later passed by the National Assembly and assented to by former President Mohammadu Buhari.

Speaking at the event, Dr Cecilia Ubah, who led the Assessment Committee to the institution, described the move as “a step in the right direction”.

Ubah, who is the Director of Colleges of Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, said that the upgraded institution would be a breeding ground for innovations.

She further explained that the assessment team comprised officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE)

“We are here to first unveil the upgraded college of education to a federal university of education.

“Secondly, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the existing facilities with the aim of providing the government with accurate and reliable information toward the successful take-off of the university.

“So far we have seen that there is a need for improvement on the infrastructure and additional manpower to enable the institution to compete favourably with other universities in the country.

“So, we solicit the cooperation of everybody to produce a valid document that will quickly attract the attention of the federal government to this institution,” she said.

Earlier, Dr Funsho Olumoko, Chairman, Governing Council of the institution, thanked the federal government for the upgrade, adding that the transition would enhance teaching and learning.

He called on the host community to protect the facilities in the upgraded institution and the ones that will come thereafter.

He called on the management of the institution to prioritise quality teaching and research aimed at solving existing and emerging societal problems.

On his part, Gagdi, who sponsored the bill for the upgrade thanked the federal government for approving and ensuring the smooth transition of the institution from a college to a university.

The lawmaker, an alumnus of the institution, particularly thanked President Bola Tinubu for approving N10 billion through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), as a matching grant for the new university.

He appealed to the state government and all critical stakeholders, particularly the host community to support the university to stand the taste of time.