Education

WARIF announces result of its Boys Conversation Café initiative

Published

6 years ago

June 23, 2018

Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a non-profit organization established to prevent and intervene on the prevalence of sexual violence/rape, has announced results from the first session of its new initiative called the WARIF Boys Conversation Café, sponsored by Diamond Bank PLC.

This initiative is designed to educate young boys between the ages of 12-16, on the prevalence of sexual violence in Nigeria, to change perception and behavioral pattern that exist amongst these group of boys, on violence against women.

The WARIF Boys Conversation Café took informal dialogue sessions with cohort groups of secondary school boys, where vetted male volunteers were recruited from different organizations to serve as mentors /role models at these café sessions.

At the end of first session with students of Surulere secondary school, the WARIF Boys Conversation Café, recorded an outstanding outcome with 98% of the beneficiaries strongly agreeing to take a stand in any case of sexual abuse rather than just be bystanders.

85% of the boys strongly agreed that CONSENT of a girl to have sex is important and should be respected.

Further results of the project also showed that the use of banned drugs like Tramadol and Codeine dropped by a whopping 66%.

Founder of WARIF, Dr. DaSilva- Ibru, speaking about the initiative said “On the issue of gender based violence in Nigeria, there are no existing curriculums in schools that directly address these topics for boys.

A lot of attention is given to women and girls to protect themselves against sexual abuse as opposed to teaching boys and men not to become perpetrators of sexual violence. With the introduction of this initiative, we intend to change the existing attitudes and behavior of young boys on the topic of rape and sexual violence. Through mentoring and education, we can change the narrative of these young men who will then grow up to become productive members of their communities”

The goal for us at WARIF is to reduce sexual based violence related issues and it is important to involve the boys in this process. Ultimately, we want a society where better boys are raised and become men who understand that sexual violence is an issue that we must all fight against”

Commenting further about the Boys’ Conversation Café, the Coordinator of Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team Lagos (DSVRT), Mrs. Lola Vivour Adeniyi, said “At DSVRT we believe strongly in positive masculinity. We found that unconsciously, we put a lot of awareness on girls and how we can protect them, teaching them how to be safe, and how they can protect themselves from sexual abuse. But we usually leave the boys behind, which should not be the case, as statistics have shown that it is mostly boys who grow to be perpetrators of abuse, and they also get sexually abused too.

So, we are excited about the WARIF Boys’ Conversation Café, and we will be partnering with WARIF to cascade these café conversations across the 6 education districts in Lagos. ” she added.

WARIF is also encouraging a call to action for everyone to raise their voices against rape and sexual violence of young girls and women in Nigeria and Africa. Parents should ensure that they teach their sons about sexual behavior, and the importance of controlling sexual impulses.

WARIF has also introduced several initiatives such as the WARIF Centre, WARIF Educational School program, WARIF Know your community, WARIF Gatekeepers initiative and the WARIF through the Arts initiative.

Education

Federal Government Sets To Commence School-To-Work Scheme

Published

5 days ago

May 3, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

The Federal Government says plans are underway to launch a school-to-work scheme to enable youths to become productive and self-employed.

The Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi disclosed this in Abuja during a meeting with Commissioners of Education, Executive State and FCT Universal Basic Chairmen, Education Boards and UBEC on the School-to-Work Scheme.

Bobboyi in his keynote address, disclosed that the target group for the scheme are learners in the junior secondary schools. He added that it will provide them the opportunity to detect early in life where their talents and potential lie, between academic pursuit and vocational skills development.

Explaining how the Scheme will run, the UBEC Boss stated that it is structured to provide at least six months training, broken into two months per year of study in the junior secondary school.

Also speaking, the Director Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Folake Davies, stated that the Scheme which is inline with the road map policy of the ministry, is designed to provide youths with the requisite experience necessary to excel whenever they find themselves in the working environment.

The Director, who was represented by Rose Onoja stated that only collaborative effort from the Federal, State, and Local Government levels and active involvement from the private sector will make the implementation of the program successful. Liberate actions to mitigate the living conditions of their constituents.

Education

Fake University Degree Holders Soon To Be Fished Out And Arrested – Minister Of Education Announces

Published

1 month ago

April 3, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Tuesday, said security agencies will go after individuals with fake university certificates in the country.

According to the minister, the individuals will be tracked after the committee set up by the Federal Government to investigate the activities of university certificate racketeers in the country submits its report.

The Federal Government had set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers following an investigative report published by Daily Nigerian which exposed the activities of degree mills in the Benin Republic.

The investigative report, which exposed the illegalities perpetrated by some tertiary institutions in the West African countries, led to the Nigerian government placing a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.

The committee set up by the Federal Government was also tasked with investigating Nigerian private universities established in the last 15 years. Recently, the committee invited memoranda from the public. Selected members of the committee also visited institutions in the Benin Republic.

While speaking at the first quarterly citizens engagement in Abuja on Tuesday, the education minister, Mamman, said;

“On the issue of the fake degrees, we set up a committee and we expect them to submit their reports soon. Once the report is submitted, I can assure you that individuals with fake certificates will be apprehended. They will be tracked by security agencies.”

Also speaking at the engagement, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, noted that the quarterly citizenship engagement was aimed at creating awareness of the activities of the ministry.

He noted that the engagement would “ also promote mutual understanding with stakeholders and citizens, build and sustain public trust, and improve transparency and accountability in the sector.”

“Worthy of mention is that this engagement also aims to improve efficiency and streamline government operations by identifying and addressing bottlenecks,” Sununu said.

Education

Stakeholders Head To Enugu For First South East Educators Conference

Published

2 months ago

March 16, 2024

Alice Ginika Simon

Stakeholders in the education circle are warming up for the maiden edition of Southeast Educators’ Conference 2024(SEEC’24).

The two-day SEEC’24 scheduled to hold 18th & 19th, April 2024 at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu under theme: Future-‘Focused Learning – Igniting the Competitive Edge’

Promises to host key players in the education sector with a potential attendance of over 500 delegates.
The conference will feature a diverse lineup of speakers, covering topics ranging from holistic learning approaches to cutting-edge technology integration.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Mrs Doris Chinedu-Okoro,CEO, Evergreen Group, said SEEC’24 is the first of its kind in the Southeast region, presenting a historic opportunity for stakeholders to pioneer positive change in the local education sector.
“It brings together diverse perspectives and innovative ideas,fostering collaboration and networking among educators and stakeholders.
Hundreds of delegates will be in attendance.
“SEEC’24 is dedicated to exploring transformative practices, emphasising holistic learning, technology integration, globalcitizenship, life-long learning, and community engagement”, she said.

Mr. Osita Chidioka, the former Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, who recently launched an online mentorship and leadership programme for Nigerian youths named Mekaria Mentorship Programme (MMP) Foundation Course, will deliver the keynote at SEEC’24.

Prof. Pieter Verdegem; Dr. Joy Isa, Mrs. Bukola Adewuiyi, Lady Uju Dike, Fr. John Njorteah, Alex Onyia, Rotimi Eyitayo, Rhoda Odigboh, Elfrida Diete-Spiff Omole, Dr. ChibuezeLawrence Ofobuike, Ify Obidi-Essien, Dr. Abimbola Ogundere, Angelina Ikeako, Odetola Ebenezer Israel and OgochukwuOnyia, are some of the speakers lined up for the event.

The Evergreen Group CEO added that the conference thrives on a vision to create a dynamic platform that equips educators with the tools and knowledge needed to make a lasting impact on the educational landscape of South-Eastern Nigeria.

SEEC’24 is open to School Owners, Heads of Schools (Public and Private), Educational Stakeholders, Counselors, Teachers, Parents, Investors, Startups, and others in the education ecosystem.
“Participants will have the opportunity to engage in two full days of conference sessions, diving deep into the future of Education.
“There will be ample networking opportunities with school leaders from across the geopolitical zone and beyond.
“The evening Gala Night promises a delightful atmosphere for dancing, dining, wining, and fostering deeper connections in a relaxed setting”, she further explained.

Registration is N100,000 via: https://bit.ly/3uTcv9e