Education
Student Entrepreneurs from OAU advance to Semi-Finals of $1m Hult Prize Competition
By: Nmerichukwu Igweamaka
Team Empower has emerged the winning team of the Hult Prize On- campus Event in Obafemi Awolowo Univerisity along with runner ups, Team Vanguard and Team Luminous.
Among a total of 122 registered teams, 93 teams participated in pitch deck submissions and 47 teams were eventually shortlisted to pitch their business ideas aim at solving youth unemployment to a panel of 15 RockStar judges. The competition was stiff and exciting with students pitching all sort of ideas. Team Empower emerged the overall winner of the competition, closely followed by the runner ups Team Vanguard and Team Luminous. The competition held on December 15 in Obafemi Awolowo University.
The top three teams with some of the Judges.
Team Empower with their startup, Empower Health – aims to be the largest cloud storage of medical information in Africa by providing a platform for accessibility of health records across medical institutions in developed and underdeveloped communities, creating over 10,000 jobs for youths in Nigeria by 2024 in the process.
Team Vanguard with their startup, Vanguard Ag. – aims to be the largest producer and distributor of vegetable and mushroom in Africa by incorporating new innovative technology to ease quick distribution and proper storage therefore bridging the gap in the value chain from the point of production till it gets to the final consumer.
Team Luminous with their startup, Agrolite – is creating an alternative to formal education in modern Agricultural practices by training rural youths in their indigenous languages, ultimately creating over 10,000 meaningful jobs in less than a decade and contributing to the food basket in Nigeria and beyond.
The winning teams will go on to represent Obafemi Awolowo University at the regional finals(semi-finals) of the competition to get into the Hult Prize Accelerator and to get a chance to win the grand prize of $1,000,000
47 teams (each consisting of 3-4 students) pitched their ideas to 15 Rock Star Judges
The Hult Prize is a start-up accelerator for social entrepreneurship, which brings together the brightest college and university students from around the globe to solve the world’s most pressing issues in partnership with the United Nations.
The annual initiative is the world’s largest student competition and crowd-sourcing platform with a grand prize of $1,000,000 awarded to the winning team at the United Nations by President Bill Clinton.
Teams compete through different stages by pitching their business ideas solving the United Nation’s challenge for each year- the challenge for this year being “Youth Unemployment”.
Source: TechEconomy.ng
Education
Federal Government Sets To Commence School-To-Work Scheme
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
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
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
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