GR Diary

Urgent: State of Emergency in the Education Sector!!!

Published

5 years ago

June 4, 2019

grassroots

By: Emeka Oparah

Yesterday, during lunch at The Nation Abuja City Editor, Yomi Odunuga’s 53rd birthday gathering, in his humble but lovely home in Abuja, we (friends) got into the usual sad reflections about the state of affairs in Nigeria. From East to West and North to South, we came to the unfortunate conclusion that all is not well with the country.

We did not come to a final conclusion on how to solve the problems, but we were aligned that something must be done and urgently too. One of the areas we dwelt on was education. That is what I’m about to discuss further, as time didn’t permit me, yesterday, to say all I had in mind what with the array of delicious food and assortment of choice “poisons” staring me in the face. Lol.

First off, all those who are close to the National Council of States, which features the president, governors, past presidents and others, should beg them to expeditiously declare a State of Emergency in Education. And I mean education at all levels. I am not even talking about the tens of millions of out-of-school children, but those who are supposedly in school and learning absolutely nothing! You do not need to consult an oracle or a seer to know how bad the situation is: check social media and see for yourself!

Some years back, as part of a fact-finding mission to assess the state of primary education in Nigeria, I embarked on a tour of the 6 geo-political zones. My employers had felt that primary education, being the foundation, must be taken seriously, and asked me to go and check and report back. The story was the same everywhere I went. Decrepit schools, horrible teachers and more horrible pupils. In some schools, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Chicken pens and pigsties were better than some of the things called schools.

Most of the buildings had leaking roofs, cracked walls, broken floors, damaged furniture or none at all. The teachers looked as ghastly as the pupils. There were no materials or inspiration for teaching and learning. Some more conscientious teachers gathered their pupils under the trees and taught them, mostly nonsense. It was during the same period the then Gov. Adams Oshiomole of Edo State conducted tests for teachers, using the same questions the pupils answered in Common Entrance, which most of the teachers failed woefully.

Our response, at the time, was to adopt six (6) out of the over 5000 primary schools. Let me not annoy you with the challenges we faced in the process of adoption but here’s what we did: We renovated the schools (in the case of the Lagos State School in Ajegulne, we built a brand new block of 6 classrooms because there was absolutely nothing to renovate!); we provided furniture, including desks, chairs, white boards and markers; we gave the pupils school uniforms, sandals, text books and exercise books and also built toilets for boys, girls and teachers. Then, we organized training sessions for the teachers at least to re-orientate them.

But what is 6 schools out of thousands? A drop in the ocean! So, across the country, most of our primary schools are still in very terrible shape. Thank you. This situation has led to the emergence of hundreds of private primary schools, which, by the way, charge exorbitant fees, and, therefore, further alienates and excludes children of the underprivileged. The result is that we have mostly poorly prepared children who are admitted into the equally disastrous public secondary schools.

The secondary schools have now deteriorated beyond producing half-baked and ill-prepared young adults to moulding young criminals! Of course, the level of teaching and learning is, like the primary schools, very much below standard. The more unfortunate issue is that the secondary schools have literally become breeding grounds for immoral, sexually perverted and criminally minded young men and women. If you are in doubt, visit a nearby public secondary school in your village. Or better still look at the photos and videos that litter the social media. Scary.

I know a school, where there are only 9 teachers for the student population of over 800! Teaching has become a job for people with no future plans or ambition. Even those who agree to teach augment their poor remunerations with whatever they make from the sale of pure water, recharge cards and all sorts of groceries. The students are either playing football and other games or wandering and loitering all over the nooks and crannies playing lottery, dancing shaku-shaku, drinking alcohol, doing drugs or organizing orgies. And this is no exaggeration. The more “courageous” ones are being recruited into secret cult groups-and they in turn initiate their younger friends. They “run things” now in the villages and towns and you dare not challenge them. They are also the ones who work for politicians as thugs and ballot box stuffers or snatchers.

I need not waste your time on the disaster currently happening in our tertiary institutions, including some of the private universities. Most of the graduates are NOT (in caps) prepared or ready for anything, except to make money. In addition to cult activities, many are now involved in the Yahoo-Yahoo business of getting rich quick by all means. They now combine Advanced Fee Fraud with outright robberies and ritual killing. They are the ones stealing women’s pants all over the place. The lecturers are mostly on strike, anyway.

Look, my dear friends, we are well and truly snookered! One of the consequences is that we do not have a ready reservoir of future leaders and managers made in Nigeria. The few job opportunities from the few corporations seeking employees are going to either those returning from the diaspora or expatriates. If this is not a calamity, then tell me what is.

I think, and you can correct me if I’m wrong, that the President should convene a meeting of the Minister of Education and Commissioners for Education and all stakeholders in the Education sector including policy makers, lawmakers (NASS and State Legislatures) to brainstorm for a week or two and propose a way or ways forward. Otherwise things are are going to get worse than it is.

Additionally, old students/pupils must urgently organize themselves and return to their alma maters to help rescue the dire situation. I know of some Alumni and Old boys/girls associations, which have done great things in their schools. Others must emulate them as a matter of sacrifice.

Also, corporate organizations and NGOs should emulate Airtel Nigeria, adopt some of these primary schools and offer other forms of support for the development of primary, secondary and tertiary education in the country. At the end of the day, these institutions should be the main source of manpower for these organization. So, even if for selfish considerations, they should do something.

The Federal Government should, however, lead the charge by immediately declaring a state of emergency in Education. The situation is really really bad. Very bad. And that is still an understatement of the problem.

Oparah, Director of Corporate Communications & CSR at Airtel Nigeria, writes from Lagos.

Events

Stakeholders Head to Enugu for first Southeast Educators Conference

Published

2 months ago

March 29, 2024

grassroots

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, global citizenship, 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

GR Diary

PAFON: Digital Encode, Cybervergent, Payble Sign Up for Payments Forum Nigeria 1.0

Published

2 months ago

March 12, 2024

grassroots

· Experts to Discuss Trust, Security and Privacy in AI Era

Payments Forum Nigeria (PAFON), the cross-industry platform focused on addressing issues that require broad cooperation and coordination across many constituents in the payments industry, has attracted sponsorships from Digital Encode Limited, Cybervergent and Payble.

Financial industry experts are warming up for the first edition of PAFON, scheduled to take place at Oriental Hotel, Lekki Road, Lagos on Thursday March 21, 2024, by 9am.

The Forum aims at providing an inside-look at the industry, offering perspectives from key stakeholders, including payment networks, technology innovators, leading merchants, issuers, acquirers and payment processors.

Throughout the years, the finance world has shifted into something much more than just banking and big corporations.

Speaking ahead of the star-studded PAFON 1.0, with the theme: “Payments: Trust, Security and Privacy in AI Era”, Dr. Adewale Peter Obadare, the Chief Visionary Officer [CVO], Digital Encode Limited, said that customers want to be assured that their sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and personal details, is treated with utmost care hence security has become paramount in the payments industry.

“Secure payment processing ensures that data breaches are minimized, instilling confidence in customers to keep coming back. Nigerian financial institutions reported ₦159 billion ($201.5 million) lost to fraud cases since 2020, according to the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC). This is what the experts must tackle and customer awareness is key too”, he said.

Based on a report by Gartner, by 2024, 40% of privacy compliance technology will rely on AI, up from 5% in 2019, and by 2025, 60% of large organizations will use at least one privacy-enhancing computation technique in analytics, business intelligence, or cloud computing, and financial services industry is no exempted.

On the other hand, Roosevelt Elias, the co-founder of Payble, described PAFON as a ‘must-attend’ Forum due to the ‘issues listed to be discussed are germane and require critical attention. For instance, building financial inclusive products requires a mix of technology and illiteracy. The industry can’t achieve this by working in silos; we just have to unite to achieve the set target on financial inclusion, particularly for the rural dwellers.

Digital Encode (a leading consulting and integration that specializes in the design, management, and security of business-critical architecture); Cybervergent (a company dedicated to helping protect business sensitive data from cyber-attacks, including customer information, financial records and intellectual property); Payble (a fintech startup that modernises local government payments such as creating citizen-centric payment experiences, delivering flexible billing and simplified rate collection, will be joined at PAFON 1.0 by Inlaks, an IT company that offers core banking, fraud management, cybersecurity, cloud, data center, enterprise risk management, amongst other industry players.

“Our goal is to enable information exchange and knowledge sharing on key industry insights issues amongst key stakeholders, with the objective of ensuring a collaborative and proactive approach to push for policies that enable growth, tackling/mitigating fraud and limiting occurrences and losses”, said Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi, the co-founder of TechCastle Foundation, organisers of Payment Forum Nigeria (PAFON).

He said that the Forum is driven by the reasons to; “educate and inform financial service players and other stakeholders on various issues and trends (both locally and globally); proactively share data/information amongst banks, Fintechs and other service providers, to enable prompt responses to prevent and/or limit (customer-related) losses; and discuss key Payments security trends”.

“Speakers will be drawn among industry players such as banks, Fintechs, mobile money operators, blockchain experts, Cybersecurity, etc., as we expect attendees from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); e-Banking Heads; Chief Compliance Officers of banks in Nigeria; Chief Internal Auditors of banks in Nigeria; Office of The National Security Adviser; Switching companies; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; Licensed Mobile Payment Operators; Electronic Payments Providers; Information Security Experts; Consumer Protection; Financial Policy and Regulation; Information Technology; Legal Services; Banking Supervision; Corporate Communication; Shared Services Office; Blockchain Security Experts, etc”, he added.

Participation:

Participation is free; however, you are required to pre-register using the link here: https://bit.ly/4c4N19H

For sponsorship, please contact: Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi via: 08123355522 or Peter Oluka: 08184346261 or email: [email protected].

GR Diary

Digital Landscape Harmonization: Anambra’s ISPs, HEIs Invited to AFRINIC One-Day Training

By; SANDRA ANI

Published

6 months ago

December 1, 2023

grassroots

The Anambra State ICT Agency, in a strategic collaboration with the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), recently, successfully organized a one-day interactive session that brought together Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), to discuss the imperativeness for interconnectivity and to lay the foundation for establishing an Internet Exchange Point in the State.

The collaborative session saw vibrant discussions and resolutions aimed at creating a more livable state and a robust economy through increased internet access and connectivity.

In furtherance of the milestone recorded with the interactive session, and in recognition of the pivotal role of ISPs and HEIs in expediting actions towards this interconnectivity, a one-day AFRINIC virtual training program has been scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 5th December by 12.00pm.

The follow-up virtual training will not only provide participants with invaluable insights, technical expertise, and practical knowledge to optimize their network infrastructures but will further yield answers to key questions posed by ISPs and HEIs.

AFRINIC, the Regional Internet Registry for Africa, is renowned for its commitment to advancing internet development across the continent. The AFRINIC virtual training therefore represents a significant stride towards realizing the goals outlined during the interactive session.

This initiative aligns perfectly with the vision of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, of building a technologically advanced state, while the collaborative efforts of the Anambra State ICT Agency and the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) underscores practical commitment to positioning Anambra as a digital hub, driving innovation, economic growth, and improved quality of life for its residents.

Participants can expect an interactive and immersive learning experience, equipping them with the skills necessary to navigate the dynamic landscape of internet services in the State.