Education: A Mirror of Society: November 2013

BREAKING ASUU ?

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDLdLtIQPbGXrpVA1QvhsUXUsyC_LnijLs7v2SodLY11NFdpoWd5tn3tvLs-gthigwkJ48I7lHp68430GVnUE45NpiIOSiTvgVoV4wsl3GgpYK3kmH01hyphenhyphenkNh4fDbvEdXaeh1AQpQolE/s1600/2013-10-18--08_53_58-picsay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ASUU STRIKE" border="0" height="200" loading="lazy" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDLdLtIQPbGXrpVA1QvhsUXUsyC_LnijLs7v2SodLY11NFdpoWd5tn3tvLs-gthigwkJ48I7lHp68430GVnUE45NpiIOSiTvgVoV4wsl3GgpYK3kmH01hyphenhyphenkNh4fDbvEdXaeh1AQpQolE/s1600/2013-10-18--08_53_58-picsay.jpg" title="ASUU LOGO" width="184" /></a></div>
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A handful of university managements seems to be having enough of the over four months old ASUU strike and are taking steps at breaking the ranks of their university's ASUU members. <br />
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This has become obvious following calls for resumption of academic activities by at least three (3) university managements, which has largely been heeded by both lecturers and students. In all instances of call for resumption, hardline ASUU members of the respective universities have condemn their management's action to unilaterally call-off their ASUU chapter's strike without regards for and permission of the union's National Executive Council.</div>
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At Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, where the management called off the lingering ASUU strike with an alleged support of "70%" of the university's lecturers, the ASUU Chairman Dr. Aliyu Badeggi described the directive of Vice Chancellor Prof Ibrahim Kolo as mischievous. He said there was no decision on the strike from the NEC and there is no way IBBU would pull out of the action it was a party to.</div>
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He was quoted as saying “How can IBBU pull out of the strike when the NEC has not ordered it should be called off? You should have known that the Vice Chancellor is being mischievous and playing to the gallery. There is no final decision on resumption because we voted to be part of the strike and we will remain a party to the action, until NEC meeting decides we should resume. So, don’t believe what the management has said; IBBU is in full strike.”</div>
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Just like his counterpart at IBB University, Prof. Gab Agu, the ASUU chairman of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) also protest the call for resumption by the university management. A statement by Prof. Agu, in Enugu on Sunday read :</div>
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<br />"The union's attention was drawn to the announcement by authorities that students would resume academic activities on Monday. The academic staff of ESUT dissociates itself from the above announcement. While ASUU-ESUT mourns the demise of Prof. Festus Iyayi, a former President of ASUU, it awaits the directive of the NEC on the ongoing strike.”</div>
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<br />At both universities, academic activities appear to have largely  commenced, though, lecturers flaunting their union's order are being queried by their respective union's chapter. At ESUT, four professors spearheading the management's interest for an end to the strike were queried by the chapter's executive. According to the chairman : </div>
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“Four professors are involved and we have issued them with queries and when they reply, we know the next action to take. We are forwarding the query to ASUU national, so that next time people should not arrogate to themselves what is not their duty. Nobody sent them. They don’t have the mandate of ASUU.” </div>
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<br />Also following in the steps of ESUT and IBBU is the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko<br />
(AAUA) in Ondo State which also recently announce a resumption date for its students in effect, pulling out of the nationwide strike of ASUU. In a statement issued and signed by its Registrar, R.B Olotu, the school ordered its students to resume for the second semester on November 25th, 2013.<br />
The statement reads :</div>
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<br />“All Students of AAUA are hereby informed that academic activities of the 2nd semester of 2012/2013 session truncated as a result of the ASUU national strike are to resume on Monday, 25th November, 2013 with the continuation of registration on the University portal, while lectures are to start on Mon, 2nd December, 2013."<br />
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Its yet unknown how many more universities will for suits in the near future as the strike appears to be unending. </div>
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BREAKING ASUU ?

A handful of university managements seems to be having enough of the over four months old ASUU strike and are taking steps at breaking t...

NSCIA CONDEMN'S NERDC EDUCATION POLICY

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The Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affair (NSCIA) has reacted to the revised Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) set to be implemented in the next academic session for both primary and junior schools across the country, according to the council's publicity secretary, the new curriculum if implemented would deprive children their right to receive religious knowledge. The council called for immediate reversal of the policy, stating that, the action is ill-advised and unacceptable :</div>
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“The new curriculum which relegates Islamic Studies/ Christian Religious Studies (IS/CRS) to a part of a subject (up to Junior Secondary School) and which made the subjects optional at the Senior Secondary level be reversed so that the two are made independent, core and compulsory up to the Senior Secondary level,” </div>
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According to Nigeria Education Research and Development Council (NERDC), some subjects have been merged into a single subject - <a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.akomst.blogspot.com/2013/11/basic-education-curriculum-revised.html?m=1">read summary here</a> - in the revised BEC in effort to reduce the number of subject offering by students from about 13-15 subjects to between 6-10 subjects.<br />
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The merger of Islamic Studies, Christian Religious Studies, Civic Education and Social Studies subjects into a new subject, Religion and National Studies (RNS) now appear to be controversial. </div>
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NSCIA CONDEMN'S NERDC EDUCATION POLICY

The Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affair (NSCIA) has reacted to the revised Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) set to be implemented i...

Nigeria’s Revised Basic Education Curriculum and the New Subject Structure

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<div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><p><strong>Editorial note:</strong> This post discusses the revised Basic Education Curriculum approved in 2013 and scheduled for implementation from September 2014. There is a more recent update to the Basic Education Curriculum.</p></blockquote><p>The first Basic Education Curriculum was produced and distributed nationwide in 2007. Its nationwide implementation commenced in Primary 1 and JSS 1 classes in September 2008 under the Universal Basic Education programme.</p><p>However, a review of the curriculum became necessary to address new developments in the educational and political landscape of the country. One major concern was the large number of subjects contained in the 2007 curriculum.</p><p>The 2007 Basic Education Curriculum listed 20 subjects. Pupils were expected to offer a minimum of 12 subjects at the primary-school level and 15 subjects at the junior-secondary-school level. Education stakeholders therefore recommended that the number of subjects should be reduced to between six and thirteen.</p><p>The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council was consequently given the mandate to review the 2007 curriculum. The review process commenced in 2011.</p><p>After consultations and meetings with education stakeholders and policymakers, NERDC produced the first revised Basic Education Curriculum. It was approved for use in Nigerian schools by the National Council on Education at its 59th meeting, held between 24 and 28 June 2013.</p><p>The implementation of the revised curriculum was scheduled to commence in September 2014.</p><p>Unlike the 2007 curriculum, which comprised 20 subject listings, the revised Basic Education Curriculum was organised into a ten-subject framework.</p><p>The framework grouped related disciplines together, thereby reducing the number of subjects. For instance, Pre-Vocational Studies combined Home Economics and Agriculture.</p><p>Religion and National Values was also introduced as a subject grouping. It incorporated Christian Religious Studies or Islamic Studies as separate themes, together with Social Studies, Civic Education and Security Education.</p><h2>Summary of the Subject Listings in the Revised Curriculum</h2><h3>Primary 1–6</h3><ol><li><p>English Studies</p></li><li><p>Mathematics</p></li><li><p>Nigerian Languages—one Nigerian language of the immediate community</p></li><li><p>Basic Science and Technology</p></li><li><p>Religion and National Values</p></li><li><p>Cultural and Creative Arts</p></li><li><p>Arabic Language—optional</p></li><li><p>French Language—Primary 4–6</p></li><li><p>Pre-Vocational Studies—Primary 4–6</p></li></ol><p>Basic Science and Technology combined:</p><ul><li><p>Basic Science;</p></li><li><p>Basic Technology;</p></li><li><p>Physical and Health Education; and</p></li><li><p>Information Technology.</p></li></ul><p>Religion and National Values included:</p><ul><li><p>Christian Religious Studies or Islamic Studies;</p></li><li><p>Social Studies;</p></li><li><p>Civic Education; and</p></li><li><p>Security Education.</p></li></ul><h3>Note</h3><p>Pupils in Primary 1–3 were required to offer a minimum of six and a maximum of seven subjects.</p><p>Pupils in Primary 4–6 were required to offer a minimum of eight and a maximum of nine subjects.</p><p>Separate classes were to be conducted for the Christian Religious Studies and Islamic Studies themes of Religion and National Values.</p><h2>Junior Secondary School 1–3</h2><ol><li><p>English Studies</p></li><li><p>Mathematics</p></li><li><p>Nigerian Languages—one Nigerian language</p></li><li><p>Business Studies</p></li><li><p>Basic Science and Technology</p></li><li><p>Pre-Vocational Studies</p></li><li><p>Religion and National Values</p></li><li><p>Cultural and Creative Arts</p></li><li><p>French Language</p></li><li><p>Arabic Language—optional</p></li></ol><h3>Note</h3><p>Students were required to offer a minimum of nine and a maximum of ten subjects.</p><p>Separate classes were also to be conducted for the Christian Religious Studies and Islamic Studies themes of Religion and National Values.</p><h2>Implications of the Revised Curriculum</h2><p>The revised curriculum presented several challenges to its effective implementation.</p><p>The first challenge was the production of standard textbooks for the newly combined subjects and the selection of relevant content from the large volume of material contained in the former subjects.</p><p>The second challenge was the availability of specialised teachers to teach the different components of the combined subjects.</p><p>The third was the availability of appropriate instructional materials and other teaching resources, particularly in rural schools.</p><p>Lastly, there was the possibility of slow or partial implementation because of the cost of procuring textbooks, instructional materials and infrastructure in both public and private schools.</p></div>
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Nigeria’s Revised Basic Education Curriculum and the New Subject Structure

Editorial note: This post discusses the revised Basic Education Curriculum approved in 2013 and scheduled for implementation from Septembe...

TOEFL AND GRE TESTING SUSPENDED IN NIGERIA.

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Sad news for potential candidates of the upcoming TOEFL test in Nigeria as the testing in Nigeria has been suspended indefinitely. TOEFL made the announcement on its <a href="http://www.ets.org/toefl">website</a> citing insecurity in Nigeria for its decision, the statement read</div>
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"Due to security concerns in Nigeria, GRE® and TOEFL® testing in the country has been suspended for an indefinite period. Candidates who have appointments to take the TOEFL or GRE Tests will be contacted by ETS to process a refund."<br />
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Some commentators have however attribute suspension of testing to the "colossal malpractices" taking place in the numerous testing centres scattered around the country. TOEFL decision to suspend testing would now force Nigerians to take the test abroad, particularly in a neighboring country as Ghana. <br />
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TOEFL is an English-language test often taken as a test of proficiency and use of English mostly in countries where English isn't spoken or used as a second language. For many institutions, TOEFL score is used to satisfy admission and visa requirements, which is why this decision is a blow to Nigerians seeking admissions into universities abroad such as in UK, Australia and USA. </div>
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TOEFL AND GRE TESTING SUSPENDED IN NIGERIA.

Sad news for potential candidates of the upcoming TOEFL test in Nigeria as the testing in Nigeria has been suspended indefinitely. TOEFL m...

Study Harvard Courses Online through edX

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<div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Editorial note:</strong> This post reflects the early years of edX, when Massive Open Online Courses were still new and some course certificates were available free of charge. Much has changed since then. Many edX courses can still be audited for free, but graded assessments and verified certificates generally require payment. The post remains a record of the early expansion of MOOCs and the opportunity they created for learners around the world.</span></p></blockquote><p>edX is an online education platform founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University in May 2012. It was established to offer university-level online courses in a wide range of disciplines to learners around the world.</p><p>You may call it a worldwide online learning platform. Its courses are multidisciplinary, covering areas such as History, Religion, Philosophy, Art, Medicine, Mathematics, Science and Technology.</p><p>During the early years of the platform, students who fully participated in assignments, tests, laboratory activities and examinations could earn certificates for completing some courses. There were different categories of certificates, many of which were initially issued free of charge, while others required a small fee.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Study Harvard Courses Online through edX

Editorial note: This post reflects the early years of edX, when Massive Open Online Courses were still new and some course certificates we...

ASUU STRIKE : UNIVERSITIES MAY REMAIN CLOSED AFTER ASUU STRIKE IS CALLED OFF - UNIONS WARNED !

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The Non Teaching Staff in Nigeria universities under the aegis of Non-Academic Staff Union of<br />
Education and Associated Institutions (NASU), National Association of Academic Technologists(NAAT), and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) is advising the Federal Government to implement the 2009 agreements it entered with the unions and simply not the MoU it signed with ASUU. A joint statement titled  ‘Our stand on the on-going ASUU strike’, was released to journalists by the unions. It read :<br />
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“We sympathise and solidarise with our sister union, ASUU over their long drawn struggle for the welfare of their members. We urged the government to build more confidence in governance, at all times, by respecting agreements it freely enters into with unions. However, we caution that any settlement of the current dispute must take into account the interests of all the university-based unions (NAAT, SSANU, NASU and ASUU). The three Non-Teaching Staff Unions of NAAT, SSANU and NASU are opposed to any extraneous demands by either ASUU or any group in the university which are prejudicial to the welfare of our members. Our stand is that government should jettison the so called ASUU’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and concentrate on full implementation of the 2009 FGN/Unions agreements which border on staff conditions of service and welfare, and increased funding to universities. The MOU being referred to by ASUU is for their selfish end and it is bound to generate more crises in the university sub-sector. The Non-Teaching Staff Unions in<br />
the universities will stoutly resist any attempt to sell the universities to ASUU."<br />
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The unions therefore warned of a relay strike action capable of paralysing the university system even for a longer duration if only the ASUU's MoU was honored. <br />
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”All university based unions signed agreements in 2009 with the government, it is therefore advised that all contentious issues in all the agreements be settled holistically to avoid a ‘relay race’ in strike actions in the universities. The implementation of any union’s MOU should not come in between<br />
the period of implementation of signed agreements rather, such items in the MOU should wait to be re-negotiated in another agreement(s).” The statement read.</div>
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ASUU STRIKE : UNIVERSITIES MAY REMAIN CLOSED AFTER ASUU STRIKE IS CALLED OFF - UNIONS WARNED !

The Non Teaching Staff in Nigeria universities under the aegis of Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU...

Akomst Education