300-level students can’t write ordinary letters – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday decried the level of decay in Nigerian universities, saying 200 and 300 level students could not write ordinary letters.

The Chairman of the Ahmadu Bello University branch, Dr. Mohammed Aliyu, stated this while addressing a news conference in Zaria, Kaduna State.

He said, “It is disheartening to note that students in 200, even 300 level cannot write ordinary letters. This has shown how poor our education standard is.”

Speaking on the on-going strike, the chairman said it was not about salary increment, but to compel the Federal Government to honour the 2009 agreement with the union.

“After three years of serious negotiation, government signed the October 2009 agreement with our union.

“The agreement aims at addressing the rot in the Nigerian university system and enhancing its overall efficiency.

“It focuses on funding requirements for revitalisation of the Nigerian universities, FG assistance to state universities, progressive increase in annual budgetary allocation to education – to 26 per cent between 2009 and 2020 – and amendment of the pension/retirement age of academics on the professional cadre from 65-70 years.”

The chairman said after signing the agreement, both  the federal and state governments developed cold feet, forcing the union to embark on a warning strike before proceeding on an indefinite action since July 1.

Aliyu said that ASUU had tried to avoid another crisis in the university system, by writing to the Secretary to the  Government of the Federation and the minister of education in February, reminding them of the pending issues.

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The letter highlighted outstanding issues in the 2009 agreement and the subsequent 2012 memorandum of understanding,” the chairman said.

He listed other issues to include the non injection of N100bn intervention funds in 2012 as FG assistance to state universities, payment of academic allowances, raising education budget to 26 per cent and setting up research units in companies.
Source: Punch newspapers

47% candidates pass OAU post-UTME screening

FOURTY-SEVEN per  cent of candidates who wrote the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State scored above 200.

According to a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, the result of the post-UTME screening exercise was released in less than three hours after the exercise.

He said, “Out of 12,200 candidates who participated in the screening exercise, 44 scored 300 marks and above while 5,691 candidates scored 200 marks and above, out of a possible 400.

“Durotoluwa Olanrewaju, who applied to study Chemical Engineering, tops the list after scoring 332 while 

Soile Adetola, who applied to study Medicine, came second with  327. However, two candidates: Odimayo

Moses and Nafiu Oluwadamilare, who both applied to study Electrical and Electronics Engineering, scored 323 each.”

 The Vice – Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole, however, commended the intellectual soundness of those who took part in the screening exercise.
Source: Punch Newspaper

Nigeria’s Smartest… The Imafidon Family

In March 2010, two really prodigious 9 years old became the youngest ever to be admitted into a Secondary School in the United Kingdom. Born to Nigerian migrant parents — Chris and Ann Imafidon — Peter and Paula from Waltham Forest, London, have consistently set joint world records.
At just seven years old, the “Wonder Twins” as they have come to be known, passed an Advanced Level examination in Mathematics. A year later, they became the youngest students to pass the University of Cambridge Advanced Mathematics paper.
Their siblings Ann-Marie, Christiana and Samantha  also hold records of their own. Ann-Marie the eldest, held the world record of being the youngest person to pass A-level Computing at 13. She won a scholarship from the British Government to study at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. At 15, Anne-Marie was admitted into the University of Oxford and went on to become the youngest person ever to graduate with a Masters degree, in 2010 at age 19.
Christiana, the next sibling, became the youngest ever to be admitted into any undergraduate program in the United Kingdom at 12, while Samantha at 12, passed two O-level examinations in mathematics and statistics at age 6 and mentored the twins to achieve the same feat.
Their father, Chris Imafidon, a researcher in ophthalmology, attributes his children’s remarkable achievements to their gifts being nurtured- not to them being “prodigies”
In his words: “Every child is a genius. Once you identify the talent of a child and put them in the environment that will nurture that talent then the sky is the limit. Look at Tiger Woods, or the Williams sisters – they were nurtured.”
The Imafidons  have been dubbed, “Britain’s Brainiest Family” for their many records. Who knows what more they will achieve? It speaks no small feat of what can be attained if we find the right environments.
Source: Connect Nigeria