Education
JAMB remits N50bn to FG, expends N750m on CSR – Registrar
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), on Wednesday disclosed that it has remitted N50billion to the federal government’s coffers in the last six years.
The examination body also said it has expended N500m as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in support of Nigerian universities to increase their capacity to give admission to applicants every year in the last five years.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who made the disclosure in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at a public lecture titled, “The Imperatives of JAMB in Tertiary Education in Nigeria”, as part of activities to mark this year’s Gbagura Day, said, it has increased the CSR to N750million this year.
He said, “Currently, over N50billion has been recorded as surplus in the past five years. Over N29billion of this has been returned directly to the CRF. About N11billion disbursed on capital projects, Corporate Social Responsibility, savings (about N6billion) and others in contrasts to about N52million that had been the cumulative return of the previous 40 years.”
He berated those calling for an extension of validity of results of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) of candidates, saying those behind the calls are acting in ignorance.
The JAMB registrar explained that score that is good enough for a year may never be good enough for any subsequent year with more brilliant candidates; owing to the limited carrying capacity, stressing that increasing the validity period will further compound the huge backlog of untreated admission requests and subscriptions to various institutions in the country.
“In recent times, some people have agitated for the retention of the results of the UTME for more than a year. But let us be clear on this. The validity of a purposeful examination as the UTME cannot be extended beyond the purpose for which it has been administered, thus the score of such an examination cannot be banked for future use as done with Certification Test.
“Other reasons why UTME scores cannot be banked and its validity could not be extended beyond a year include: each year’s examination has different standard in terms of test difficulty and comparability since a norm-referenced test is linked only to the test population of a particular year.
“The psychometrics for comparability demands a statistical procedure of linking and equating the mean, standard deviation and rank order of performance scores to be approximately the same for each validity year. This statistical factor must be equated in each year’s performance for adjustment and defensibility to the critical stakeholders on national combined selection; the purpose of the UTME is to align it with the current Year 1 (100 level) syllabus of tertiary institutions”.
“Change in syllabus may affect the validity and reliability of scores for candidates for different years; if fresh school leavers are to wait for all the earlier-school leavers to be admitted before they (the fresh) are considered, then the fresh ones would be unduly deprived even if they are more qualified than the earlier set”.
“The standard for each cohort is to take the best available each year rather than rank on age of test; admission in a given year depends on the carrying capacity of an institution and the performance of candidates at the examination viz-a-viz their chosen courses and programmes”.
Other parameters for admission such as Merit, Catchment Area, Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS), state of origin also play significant role”.
“A score that is good enough for a year may never be good enough for any subsequent year with more brilliant candidates;owing to the limited carrying capacity, increasing the validity period will further compound the huge backlog of untreated admission requests and subscriptions to various institutions.”
“Before the establishment of JAMB, the admission of prospective students was done by each university on its own. It was individualistic, chaotic and open to abuse as each institution set its own admission requirements without recourse to any central and coordinating statutory body”.
He said, “the establishment of JAMB has ensured a unified standard for the conduct of matriculation examination, harmonised entry requirements, ensured the placement of suitably qualified candidates into the nation tertiary institutions and strict compliance to admission guidelines”.
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“If a central body for the assessment and placement of qualified candidates to tertiary education institutions could be desired when the nation had only thirteen universities, it should be more desirable now than ever when we have more than nine hundred tertiary education institutions”.
While institutions determine institutional and programme cut-off marks and other Admission criteria in exercise of their autonomy, regulatory agencies (NUC, NBTE and NCCE) decide the admission quota for the institutions, the role of JAMB is to ensure that the set criteria are adhered to along with the extant policies so that no qualified candidate will be left behind.
“The existence of JAMB restraints tertiary institutions, particularly, public tertiary ones, from arbitrariness in the admission process. It also serves as arbiter between the institutions and the candidates”.
“In order to protect the sanctity and integrity of its UTME, the Board puts in place several measures to curb the menace of examination malpractice, ensures active participation of stakeholders through a number of standing committee set up to monitor the conduct of UTME”.
Education
OISD Empowers Teachers with Digital Literacy and AI Skills to Revolutionize Education in Nigeria
The Organization for Innovation and Sustainable Development (OISD) has taken a significant step toward transforming education in Nigeria by organizing a one-day special training on digital literacy for secondary school teachers in Abuja.
The event, held at the OISD Training Centre in Abuja, was designed to equip educators with essential digital skills and increase awareness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance their teaching impact.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Jamilu Yusuf Dan-Ummah, the Executive Director of OISD, introduced the theme of the program: “Empowering Educators: Advancing Digital Literacy and AI Awareness for Secondary School Impact.” He emphasized the critical role teachers play in shaping the future of education and the need to adapt to the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Mr. Dan-Ummah highlighted that the objective of the training was to bridge the digital gap in classrooms by empowering teachers with the knowledge and tools to integrate digital literacy and AI-driven solutions into their teaching methods.
According to him, educators must stay ahead of technological advancements to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
“This training is a response to the growing demand for educators who can leverage digital tools and AI to deliver effective learning experiences. Our goal is to ensure that teachers are not just aware of these technologies but are also capable of applying them to improve student outcomes,” Mr. Dan-Ummah stated.
The program brought together secondary school teachers from various schools across Abuja, providing them with hands-on training on essential digital tools, interactive learning platforms, and AI concepts.
Facilitators at the event shared insights on how to use technology to make lessons more engaging, foster critical thinking, and prepare students for a technology-driven world.
The event concluded with participants expressing their appreciation for the training and the actionable insights they gained. Some of the teachers highlighted the importance of continuous capacity-building programs to keep up with emerging educational trends.
Education
Army chief charges junior officers to be enterprising and resourceful
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has charged students of the Junior Course 98 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, to be enterprising, diligent and resourceful.
Oluyede gave the charge while addressing the students at their regimental dinner night on Wednesday in Jaji, Kaduna State.
According to him, possessing the attributes will enable them build successfully on their career and personal lives.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the dinner night is one of the major events lined up for the graduation of the students on Friday.
Oluyede said the objective of the college was to develop the professional knowledge and understanding of selected officers to prepare them for staff and command appointments.
He said the officers in the last 23 weeks had learnt some vital concepts like counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, estimate process and manoeuvring approach to warfare and peace support operations.
“It is also gratifying that you learnt the rudiments of time management, perseverance, determination, team spirit, staff work, and self-confidence and most importantly, discipline while on this course.
“Your leadership, dedication and ability to inspire and guide your teams are essential to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and excellence.
”As junior leaders, you must be able to inspire confidence in subordinates and not lead through intimidation or be overtly coercive.
“Your impact significantly contributes to the overall plan and objectives at the operational and strategic levels, “he said.
The army chief congratulated the students on the successful completion of their course
NAN reports that prizes were given to students who distinguished themselves
Education
Wike backs amendment of TET Fund Act to accommodate Nigerian Law School
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has backed ongoing calls for the amendment of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TET Fund) to accommodate the Nigerian Law School in its interventions.
Wike announced the support at the inauguration of the construction of 10-unit housing staff quarters for the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja, on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister also handed over seven operation vehicles to the school to improve its operation.
The minister said that the amendment of the TET Fund Act to accommodate the Nigerian Law School was long overdue, considering its contribution to the development of the legal profession.
“This is a professional training school. So, we will give all the necessary support that the Fund be amended for the law school to benefit from its special intervention funds.
“If that happens, I am sure the difference will be clear. The school will have the money it requires to provide critical infrastructure,” he said.
Wile also called for increased budgetary provisions for the Nigerian Law School to enable the school to carry out infrastructural development for quality service delivery.
He explained that the provision of staff quarters and operational vehicles to the law school in Bwari was directed by President Bola Tinubu.
He added that the institution also belongs to the Federal Government, and as such, there was nothing wrong in providing the needed infrastructure to uplift the school.
The minister also promised to build 200-bed male and female hostels for the Nigerian Laws School, Bwari.
According to him, the current hostels are not fit for the training of professional lawyers for the Nigerian legal profession
He said that the funds for the construction of the hostels would be captured in the FCTA’s 2025 budget.
He called on those who might not be happy with the support being given to the judiciary and legal education to wait for their turn.
He said: “If anybody is angry with us, let him wait for his turn. When you become the Minister of FCT, do it for your own profession.
“I am not going to be intimidated by anybody.
“Now that we are in this position, we must contribute to our constituency so that tomorrow, we will be able to say, while we were there, this was our own contribution as far as our constituency, the legal profession is concerned.”
He thanked Tinubu for giving him all the support he needs to succeed as the minister of the FCT.
Also, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, equally frowned at the non-inclusion of the Nigerian Law School as a benefiting institution.
“If you look at the laws setting up TET Fund, the Nigerian Law School is not included, and I think the time has come to amend the Act to include the Nigerian Law School.
“This will enable the school benefit for the TET Fund intervention funds,” he said.
Fagbemi thanked Wike, whom he described as “Mr Project” for all the support to the judiciary and the legal profession.
“Whether or not you like him, you cannot dispute the fact that he is a performer, and one person you will always know where he stands, no matter what, even if you don’t agree with him.
“Another thing is, he does not embark on any project he has no money to complete,” he said.
He appealed to other public office holders to extend a similar gesture to the Nigerian Law School to enable the school to maintain high standards in the training of legal professionals.
On his part, the Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isah Chiroma, recalled that he had appealed to Wike for infrastructural support when he assumed office in August 2023.
“This project, is therefore, a promise made and a promise kept. The housing and operational vehicles will go a long way in assisting the school to achieve its mandate,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Richard Dauda, acting Executive Secretary, said that staff quarters would consist of a fully furnished four-bedroom bungalow, and expected to be completed in nine months.
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