Education
Vice President, Shettima to Honour Students From Edo, Nasarawa, Others
Reforms in the education sector by the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has continued to yield positive gains as students of Anglican Girls Grammar School (AGGS) achieved yet another remarkable feat, clinching the second position in the highly competitive national quiz competition, outperforming schools from all 36 states of Nigeria.
The students from the state-owned school had emerged as the best performers in the South-South region, securing their spot to represent the region in the Anti Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) Quiz Competition, sponsored by the MTN Foundation.
The students clinched the second position with a N5 million cash prize after getting five points behind the quiz winners, the Parents Teachers Association-Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme (PTA-NADP) International College, Lafia, Nasarawa State, who got 50 points.
The winners will be presented with their prizes by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima at the ASAP National Conference scheduled to hold tomorrow, June 26 at the State House, Abuja, as part of activities to commemorate the 2023 World Drug Day.
The trio of Theresa John Parkson, Benita Omosefe Omonzejele, and Best Osasogie Edobor who were Edo’s representatives at the highly tensed competition had thrilled guests with their academic prowess and problem-solving abilities, showcasing their knowledge and understanding of the dangers of substance abuse, addiction, and other related topics.
The achievement reflects the effectiveness of the state’s educational policies and initiatives embarked upon by the Governor Obaseki-led state government in the past six years.
The government had focused on delivering superior learning outcomes to students by investing in the professional development of teachers, (employing and training quality teachers to achieve set targets); training and equipping supervisors and quality assurance officers; developing state-owned schools in remote areas and sensitising parents on the need to send their children to school.
MTN Anti-Substance Abuse Programme is a multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral behaviour change initiative that is aimed at reducing the rate of first-time substance abusers amongst young Nigerians aged between 10-25 years.
Executive secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya said the competition is organized to create awareness of substance abuse among secondary students and also assess the level of awareness and knowledge of substance abuse and substance abuse issues among secondary school students.
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said its 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will begin on April 24 and not April 25 as earlier announced.
JAMB spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin, announced this in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.
Benjamin said that adjustment had been made to accommodate essential commitments by the board and its partner agencies.
He said that prospective candidates could now print their notification slips, which contain vital information regarding their exam details.
He added that the notification slip indicates the examination date, venue (centre), time and other essential details necessary for success of the examination
“Candidates are encouraged to print their notification slips beginning from today, April 19.
“This will provide ample time for logistics arrangements to access their assigned centres within the chosen examination towns.
“To print the notification slip, candidates should visit www.jamb.gov.ng, click on “2025 UTME Slip Printing”, enter registration number and click on “Print Examination Slip”, he said.
The spokesman advised candidates to familiarise themselves with their examination centres after printing their slips, at least one or two days before the examination date.
According to him, this preparation will help ensure a smooth experience on the examination day.
Benjamin further said that candidates would be assigned to centres within their chosen examination towns as no candidate would be placed in a centre outside their selected town. (NAN)
The Federal Government has mandated all tertiary institutions that have received waivers for staff recruitment to publicly announce their job vacancies.
In a statement released on Thursday, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa emphasized the importance of transparency in the hiring process. The statement was issued by Folasade Boriowo, the Director of Press in the Ministry.
Dr. Alausa encouraged these institutions to advertise positions in at least one national daily newspaper, on their official websites, and in pertinent academic and professional journals.
This directive is intended to foster an open and competitive recruitment environment, ensuring equal opportunities for all eligible Nigerians.
“This initiative follows the waivers granted to federal tertiary institutions based on their submissions regarding manpower needs,” he explained. “It reflects the ministry’s commitment to strengthening the capabilities of our higher education institutions.”
He reminded all federal tertiary institutions to submit their recruitment requirements to the ministry for evaluation by the Committee on Waiver and Recruitment.
“The ministry has established effective mechanisms to ensure compliance and will not hesitate to impose penalties on any institution that fails to follow this directive,” he stated. “The Federal Ministry of Education is steadfast in its commitment to upholding integrity and fairness within the Nigerian higher education system.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has uncovered at least 585 forged A-Level certificates so far in 2025.
Is-haq Oloyede, the registrar, was at a virtual meeting with JAMB staff on April 2.
The meeting was to discuss operational procedures ahead of the 2025 mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the main UTME.
Oloyede said JAMB discovered 585 forged A-Level certificates, 13 of which originated from the Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB).
He said the professional registration centres (PRCs) that uploaded the results are now under investigation.
Of those 13 cases, Oloyede said four suspects have so far been arrested.
He said the forgeries were among the reasons for the creation of the Nigeria Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (NIPED).
NIPED is a platform designed to collect and manage data related to post-secondary education in Nigeria.
Oloyede alleged that some institutions may have internal collaborators aiding the syndicates behind the forgeries.
He said the board is working closely with police and other authorities to apprehend the ringleaders.
In 2023, JAMB also uncovered 1,665 fake A-level results during a DE registration season.
The board said its NIPEDS lagged multiple cases of forgery, with 13 additional A-level certificates recently identified as fake.
JAMB said some institutions had already processed admissions for candidates using these forged documents before they were detected.
It urged its staff to remain committed to their duties and to avoid any actions that could compromise the integrity of the board.