News Star newspaper

Nigerian schools lack scientific manpower

— Akatobi
Hon Akatobi Friday Alozie is the Commissioner for Science and Technology in Abia State, he speaks with BENJAMIN OVIE on the way forward for science and technology to thrive in the nation’s education system. Excerpts.
What role has Governor Theodore Orji’s Administration played to support your ministry?
The governor gave us a considerable level of independence hence we have gone a long way to improve on our ministry notwithstanding that the development of the ministry of technology is a tedious job presently we are negotiating for partnership with various bodies that can boost the technology level of the state.
 Most schools in Abia State are said to be bereft of science equipment, what is your ministry doing to salvage the schools?
Equipping our schools with science equipment is necessary but it is not the primary need of these schools which lack adequate science man power. Most of the schools I have visited have science equipments that are lying fallow due to lack of adequate scientific manpower. We don’t want to duplicate the mistake the government made by equipping technical schools with latest gadgets without equally supplying technical teachers that possess the technical know-how on how these equipments can be well utilized, this led to the early wear and tear of these equipments because they were left dormant. I feel we should put in place the manpower for science subjects in our various schools before investing in equipments.
Are you saying that there is lack of science teachers in schools?
Yes, we don’t have capable science teachers in our schools. In some schools biology teacher teaches every other science subjects because we don’t have enough qualified teachers to handle them. It is absurd for a biology teacher to handle subjects like physics and chemistry.
Recently, the regulatory bodies decreed that the ratio of science to arts be put at 70:30, how do you think it can be achieved?
We should bring in the man power. The bane of science in our school system is the absence of manpower. The manpower is the one responsible for making science subjects juicy to the Nigerian student.
What efforts have you put in place to encourage computer literacy in Abia schools?
We’ve began, but we are yet to concentrate on schools. We’re distributing computers to all qualified civil and public servants, those that fulfill the requirements necessary for having these computers. The payment is stretched within the period of 24 months after one has acquired the computer.
What is delaying you from doing so in schools?
We are still fashioning out a suitable method for the distribution of computer in schools, we will begin distribution soon.
 Abia State has produced some creative minds, what is your ministry doing to encourage them?
We began to identify artisans in Abia state a long time ago but  we were maliciously over taken by the Ministry of Environment which taxed each of these artisans a fee of  N500 which they said was for registration for only God knows what, they however dumped the whole thing in the  dustbin after extorting these poor fellows. We in the Ministry of Technology knew that the Ministry of Environment was only bent on extorting the artisans they actually didn’t have any agenda for them. Our initial plans were to organize a fair where these artisans would exhibit their potentials for global consumption.
So, what is responsible for the interference of the Ministry of Environment in an issue that is exclusively under your ministry?
The problem is that many people are desperate for money. I feel their driving force was the token of N500 which they extorted from each of these fellows without rendering any service to them.

UBE teachers protest over lay-off by Delta State govt

ANASTACIA AGUNWA
ASABA- About 1,067 Universal Basic Education (UBE) teachers under Federal Teachers Scheme (FTS) in Delta state have protested to the state government over their laying off after the completion of two-year service.
The protesting teachers who are NCE holders took to the streets in Asaba carrying placards with different inscriptions, such as "Human capital development is our right", "Uduaghan where is your three point agenda? "Staff UBE teachers", UBE teachers are qualified", return UBE teachers", "stay at home where is our hope", amongst others.
The spokesman of the group, Mr. Luis Ogene told News Star that the federal government had been paying them N10, 000 monthly for two years but expressed dismay that additional N10, 000 which the state government was supposed to add to their monthly allowances has not paid up till now.
Ogene, therefore appealed to Delta state government to re-absorb them into the system by giving them permanent employment, adding "we UBE teachers in Delta state indigenes employed by the federal Universal Basic Education to serve the state for two years and after two years, it is expected that the state will absorb us. Now two years have come to an end and the state government is telling us to go home and stay like that.
" It is obvious that in other states, UBE teachers have been given permanent jobs, in Edo, Abia and Bayelsa States have been absorbed there. So, we the indigenes of Delta state served in the state, we wonder why we should be laid off like that".

SUBEB disburses N122.4m to communities

CHARLES EDO
KADUNA- The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), has commenced the disbursement of N122. 4 million to 204 communities under the state government’s self-help project.
The Deputy Governor of the state Mr. Patrick Yakowa has also stated that the state government has allocated 27 per cent of the entire budget to the education sector.
He said the government has made available free compulsory education in all the primary and post-primary schools in the state.
The fund is meant to assist communities, through self-help projects, to improve the standard of primary school pupils, towards achieving Education-For-All (EFA), programme.
The scheme was introduced by the UBE Commission to rectify the educational imbalance among some affected states.
The SUBEB Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Balarabe, said each benefiting community had contributed 20 per cent of the amount it would benefit from the fund.
He said UBE would disburse N600,000 to each of the communities, in addition to the mandatory N150,000 contribution from each of them.
Balarabe said 96 communities were constructing new classrooms, while 25 would renovate existing structures in their respective schools.
He said 46 communities were to provide furniture, and 26 others would complete some uncompleted structures.
The chairman said six communities would construct boreholes, four to provide VIP toilets, while one community had opted to provide a science laboratory.
The Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Sulaiman Lawal, said the programme had benefited more than 3.3 million primary pupils in the state.
He urged the communities to ensure 100 per cent execution of the projects.
A bank draft of N600,000 each was handed over to some of the communities in the first
phase of the programme.

Zamfara to remove impediments to female education

GUSAU- Governor Mahmuda Shinkafi of Zamfara State has promised to tackle all societal prejudices militating against the development of female education in the state.
Shinkafi made the promise in Gusua at the opening of a two-day workshop for teachers in girls’ colleges.
He said the state government had resolved to increase investment in female education through the establishment of additional female schools.
The governor, who was represented by the Head of Service, Alhaji Bello Karakkai,
called on parents to encourage their female children to attend schools.
Shinkafi said they could do so by resisting societal pressure to withdraw their female children from school for early marriage.
The government, he said, had made available adequate teaching and learning materials to female schools.
He also said qualified teachers had been posted to female schools as part of the measures to boost female education.
Shinkafi recalled that the state government recently provided car loans to principals of
its post-primary schools.
Shinkafi said efforts were being made to extend the loans to teachers in primary and secondary schools.
"Our administration is aware of the critical role of teachers in disseminating knowledge
and shaping the character of our youths as well as building a prosperous nation,’’ he said.
The Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Basir Madaro, said the state government would take steps to widen access to education by youths to ensure a brighter future for the state.

Nwachukwu, Agada advocates of quality education— Dukku

ABUJA- The Minister of Education, Hajia Aishatu Dukku has said that former Ministers of Education, Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu  and Jerry Agada were pillars in the nation’s quest for quality education.
Dukku made the assertion in Abuja , when the two former ministers formally handed over the education ministry to her.
She pointed out that the duo contributed immensely to consolidation of the ongoing reforms in the education sector.
"The three of us assumed office at a time when the reforms in the sector needed fine-tuning and the public also needed a better understanding of the reforms," she stressed.
"We must also bear in mind the drive for Education For All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)  in our collective drive to provide quality education for our people," she said.
In his remarks, Prof.  Julius Okojie, the NUC Executive Secretary, commended the former ministers for their openness and for giving access to stakeholders in education to discuss issues concerning the sector.
Okojie said this posture provided the workers the opportunity to contribute frankly to the formulation of policies to move the sector forward.
 "We are all better for it as we have learnt to appreciate the problems on basic and secondary education as well as the problems at the tertiary level.
"You are leaving as ambassadors of the ministry, we look forward to your continued contributions to the development of the education sector,’’ he said.