Education: A Mirror of Society

THE QUEST TO FIND PRESIDENT JONATHAN'S PhD THESIS

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Among president Jonathan's quoted academic qualification is a PhD degree in zoology from the University of Port Harcourt. According to his profile, he also obtain his first degree (B.Sc. in zoology) and second degree (M.Sc. in hydrobiology) from the same university. His PhD qualification however, has long been questioned as no thesis or publications could be traced to his name. <br />
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Thesis is a must for most degree before the award of a certificate, but till date, none could be trace to his name, either on shelf or in a reputable journal publication platform. The president has however, continues to title himself a Doctor(PhD). <br />
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So, does president Jonathan possesses a doctoral degree ?. An organization; Institute of Human Right and Humanitarian Law, has embark on a quest to answer this question. Under the Freedom Of Information (F.O.I) Act, the organization has written to authority of University of Port Harcourt to provide details of Mr. Jonathan's doctoral qualifications. The organization prays the university to provide document/information on the following :</div>
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1. The title of the president’s<br />
   
doctorate dissertation</div>
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2. Year of registration as a<br />
   
doctorate candidate</div>
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3. Name of his doctorate</div>
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supervisor(s)</div>
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4. Name of his external<br />
   
examiner(s)</div>
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5. Comments/ reports of the<br />
   
external examiners on the<br />
   
dissertation/thesis</div>
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6. Photocopy of the dissertation/<br />
   
thesis and</div>
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7. Date of graduation from the<br />
    university</div>
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The organization also said its willing to incur charges that may relate to making photocopies and postage cost if the university provide it with its account numbers. <br />
The organization's quest may not be unrelated to the recent controversy generated about the academic qualification and eligibility of the opposition's All Progressive Congress (A.P.C) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari to contest in the upcoming presidential election. The General is currently facing multiple law suits seeking his disqualification from the race on issues surrounding his secondary school certificate. <br />
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Mr. Jonathan may however, face similar suits on the ground of perjury should it be discovered that he does not possesses the academic qualification to which he had laid claims to. <br />
Under the FOI act, the university has seven days on receiving the notice to reply with the requested information or face court charges. <br />
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So, the waits begin...</div>
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THE QUEST TO FIND PRESIDENT JONATHAN'S PhD THESIS

Among president Jonathan's quoted academic qualification is a PhD degree in zoology from the University of Port Harcourt. According to...

BUHARI CERTIFICATE CONTROVERSY LAID TO REST ?

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The certificate controversy surrounding the eligibility of the leading presidential candidate of All Progressive Congress (A.P.C) may soon be laid to rest following the release of academic credential of the candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), by authority of his former school.</div>
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 <img alt="Muhammadu Buhari, APC presidential candidate" class="attachment-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="270" loading="lazy" src="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2014/09/604x270xbuhari-604x270.jpg.pagespeed.ic.HdFZAOOoBn.jpg" title="Muhammadu Buhari" width="604" /></div>
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Authority of Government College, formerly Provincial Secondary School, Katsina, made copies of the statement of result available to newsmen on January 21, on the request of the General. The result statement which appeared to have been extracted from an original transcript from 1961 West Africa School Certificate Examination Result Slip for several candidates also confirm claims by Buhari that he had sat for the exams along some other prominent Nigerians, including the former President of Court of Appeal, Umar Abdullahi.</div>
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Eligibility of the General to contest for the office of the presidency had earlier been questioned by rival candidates following submission of an affidavit to the electoral body, INEC, wherein, he claimed, his academic records and certificates are in the possession the Nigerian Military Secretary, a claim later denied by the military authority.</div>
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The academic record can be found here by <a href="http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/01/buhari-Statement-of-Result.pdf" target="_blank">PREMIUM TIMES as a PDF file</a>. </div>
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<b>Related Post</b> :</h3>
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A<a href="http://akomst.blogspot.com/2015/01/apc-manifesto-on-education-for.html" target="_blank">PC Manifesto on Education : For Posterity Purpose.</a></h4>
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<a href="http://akomst.blogspot.com/2015/01/pdp-manifesto-on-education-so-far-so.html" target="_blank">PDP Manifesto on Education : So Far So Poor </a></h4>
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BUHARI CERTIFICATE CONTROVERSY LAID TO REST ?

The certificate controversy surrounding the eligibility of the leading presidential candidate of All Progressive Congress (A.P.C) may soon...

PDP Manifesto on Education: Promises, Progress and Poor Performance

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<div style="text-align: justify;"><p>A basic litmus test for judging the performance of any government or political party is its achievement in the education sector.</p><p>Education lays the foundation for the development of every other sector of a nation. Achievements in education should, therefore, be among the most important milestones of any government.</p><p>The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) produced the presidents who governed Nigeria continuously from 1999 to 2015. However, by the end of that period, the education sector was still struggling with many of the problems inherited from the era of military rule. The party lost the presidency in the 2015 general election after 16 years in power.</p><p>Education policies were often unstable, strike actions were frequent, and funding remained a major problem. In summary, the education sector did not improve as much as Nigerians had expected after the country returned to democratic government.</p><p>The consequences could be seen across society in rising unemployment, crime, violence and the slow pace of scientific and technological development.</p><p>The PDP’s manifesto on education is reproduced below as a reference for assessing the party’s performance.</p><blockquote><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Editorial note:</strong> This is the version of the education and science and technology sections available when this article was originally written. Later editions of the PDP manifesto used revised wording and targets. An INEC-hosted edition similarly promises free and compulsory basic education, improved access, better quality and increased enrolment.</span></p></blockquote><h2>PDP Objectives for Education</h2><p>The manifesto described education as an important social instrument for promoting national unity among Nigeria’s diverse peoples.</p><p>It stated that a PDP government would:</p><ol><li><p>ensure that the educational system was improved;</p></li><li><p>ultimately provide free and functional education at all levels;</p></li><li><p>integrate political and civic education into the formal education system, with emphasis on the Constitution, the state and democratic principles;</p></li><li><p>foster and expand education at all levels and in all fields of knowledge; and</p></li><li><p>encourage private and voluntary organisations to establish schools, subject to compliance with government policies.</p></li></ol><h2>Proposed Strategies for Education</h2><p>The PDP promised to pursue the following strategies:</p><ol><li><p>Promote pre-primary education by encouraging the establishment of private nursery schools so that every Nigerian child would have an opportunity to begin education at the nursery level.</p></li><li><p>Provide:</p><ul><li><p>free and compulsory primary education;</p></li><li><p>free and compulsory junior secondary education; and</p></li><li><p>free and qualitative senior secondary education.</p></li></ul></li><li><p>Expand the Unity School system as a model and an instrument for promoting national unity.</p></li><li><p>Encourage greater involvement of private individuals and organisations in the delivery of educational services, subject to government regulation.</p></li><li><p>Establish adult and continuing education centres to promote mass literacy among Nigerians.</p></li><li><p>Provide technical educational institutions with well-equipped workshops and adequate numbers of properly trained teachers.</p></li><li><p>Encourage the establishment of private universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, subject to government regulation.</p></li><li><p>Provide adequate funding for university education.</p></li><li><p>Improve the social and economic status of teachers and other education personnel through better conditions of service.</p></li><li><p>Provide free university education for students studying science, technology and medicine.</p></li><li><p>Provide Federal Government scholarships based on merit.</p></li><li><p>Provide libraries, laboratories and workshop facilities in schools and colleges.</p></li><li><p>Encourage universities to establish and operate consultancy units.</p></li><li><p>Guarantee academic freedom within the university system.</p></li><li><p>Encourage entrepreneurs to provide affordable hostel accommodation for university students.</p></li><li><p>Train more teachers and enforce the requirement that the Nigeria Certificate in Education should be the minimum qualification for primary school teachers.</p></li><li><p>Provide special educational facilities for the children of nomads.</p></li><li><p>Provide adequate facilities and trained personnel for learners with disabilities.</p></li></ol><h2>PDP Objectives for Science and Technology</h2><p>The manifesto also promised to:</p><ol><li><p>provide an adequate industrial base for rapid technological development and promote scientific and technological literacy among Nigerians;</p></li><li><p>encourage the acquisition, adoption, use and appreciation of scientific and technological inventions and methods in everyday life; and</p></li><li><p>promote appropriate technologies required for sustainable development.</p></li></ol><h2>Proposed Science and Technology Strategies</h2><p>The party promised to:</p><ol><li><p>provide facilities and create an environment suitable for promoting scientific and technological literacy;</p></li><li><p>encourage scientific and technological research institutions to develop simple tools and industrial equipment from locally available raw materials;</p></li><li><p>promote an enquiring and inventive spirit at every level of the education system;</p></li><li><p>encourage the development of a scientific and technological culture among Nigerians; and</p></li><li><p>accelerate the completion of iron, steel, gas and petrochemical plants under construction in the country.</p></li></ol><h2>How Well Were the Promises Fulfilled?</h2><p>The manifesto contained many attractive promises. However, a manifesto should not be judged by the beauty of its language. It should be judged by the extent to which its promises are translated into measurable improvements.</p><p>A fair assessment must also recognise that the Federal Government does not control every aspect of education. State and local governments, school proprietors, regulatory agencies, teachers, parents and communities all have important responsibilities.</p><p>Nevertheless, the party that controlled the Federal Government for 16 years had sufficient time and authority to provide national direction, strengthen institutions and demonstrate what was possible.</p><h2>Expansion of Access to Education</h2><p>The PDP administrations recorded some achievements in expanding access.</p><p>The Universal Basic Education Programme was introduced in 1999 to provide greater access to basic education. The Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act was subsequently enacted in 2004.</p><p>The National Open University of Nigeria was revived in 2002, giving more people an opportunity to obtain university education through open and distance learning.</p><p>There was also a considerable expansion in the number of public and private universities. By May 2015, the National Universities Commission reported that Nigeria had 61 approved private universities. Several new federal universities were also established during the later years of the PDP administration.</p><p>The establishment of more institutions created additional admission opportunities. It also partly fulfilled the manifesto’s promise to encourage private participation in education.</p><p>However, an increase in the number of schools and universities did not automatically produce an equal improvement in quality.</p><p>Many institutions struggled with inadequate facilities, overcrowded classrooms, shortages of qualified personnel and limited research funding. Access expanded, but the quality and affordability of the education available remained uneven.</p><h2>Free and Functional Education</h2><p>The promise to provide free and functional education at all levels was not fully achieved.</p><p>Although basic education was declared free and compulsory, many families continued to pay for uniforms, books, transportation, examinations, levies and other school-related expenses.</p><p>The existence of a policy did not always mean that it was properly implemented. Millions of children remained outside formal schooling, particularly in poorer communities and parts of northern Nigeria.</p><p>The promise of free university education for all students of science, technology and medicine was also not fulfilled as a nationwide policy.</p><p>Tuition might have remained officially low or absent in some federal institutions, but students and their families still paid various charges and carried much of the cost of accommodation, books, transport and daily living.</p><h2>Funding and Industrial Disputes</h2><p>Adequate funding was one of the central promises in the manifesto, but it remained one of the most persistent sources of disagreement between the government and education workers.</p><p>Public universities experienced repeated strike actions over funding, university autonomy, staff welfare and the implementation of agreements between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.</p><p>Industrial action did not begin under the PDP, but it continued repeatedly during the party’s years in government. Research covering the democratic period shows that university strikes consumed a substantial number of academic days and repeatedly disrupted students’ programmes.</p><p>The long university strike of 2013 was a particularly strong indication that the relationship between the government and university workers had not improved sufficiently.</p><p>The restructuring of the Education Trust Fund into the Tertiary Education Trust Fund under the TETFund Act of 2011 was an important intervention. TETFund provided supplementary funding for infrastructure, research, staff development and libraries in public tertiary institutions.</p><p>However, supplementary intervention could not completely replace proper and consistent government funding.</p><h2>Teachers and Learning Conditions</h2><p>The manifesto promised to improve the social and economic position of education personnel and to train more teachers.</p><p>Some efforts were made through teacher-training programmes and the enforcement of the Nigeria Certificate in Education as the minimum teaching qualification at the basic-education level.</p><p>Nevertheless, many teachers continued to work in difficult conditions. Problems included irregular salaries in some states, limited opportunities for professional development, overcrowded classrooms and shortages of teaching materials.</p><p>The promise to provide libraries, laboratories and workshops in all schools and colleges was far from being achieved. Many public schools lacked basic facilities, while some institutions had laboratories that were poorly equipped or no longer functional.</p><h2>Science and Technology</h2><p>The manifesto recognised that national development required scientific literacy, research, innovation and industrial growth.</p><p>However, Nigeria’s scientific and technological development remained slow. Universities and research institutes produced valuable studies, but weak links between research, industry and government limited the practical application of many findings.</p><p>Major industrial projects, including the steel sector, did not develop as expected. Nigeria continued to depend heavily on imported equipment, manufactured goods and technologies.</p><p>The country produced many graduates in science and engineering, but it did not create enough research opportunities, industries or jobs in which their skills could be fully applied.</p><h2>Overall Assessment</h2><p>It would not be entirely correct to say that nothing was achieved during the PDP’s 16 years in government.</p><p>The period witnessed:</p><ul><li><p>the introduction and legal establishment of Universal Basic Education;</p></li><li><p>the revival of the National Open University of Nigeria;</p></li><li><p>the expansion of federal and private universities;</p></li><li><p>the establishment of TETFund in its present form;</p></li><li><p>increased private participation in education; and</p></li><li><p>various scholarship, teacher-training and school-development programmes.</p></li></ul><p>However, these achievements fell far below the broad promises contained in the manifesto.</p><p>The party promised free and functional education at all levels, adequate university funding, improved conditions for teachers, properly equipped schools, affordable student accommodation, mass literacy and rapid scientific and technological development.</p><p>By 2015, many of these promises had either not been fulfilled or had been implemented only partially.</p><p>The appropriate judgement may therefore not be that the PDP achieved nothing, but that its performance did not match either the length of time it spent in power or the ambition of its manifesto.</p><p>In that sense, the verdict remained: <strong>some progress, but still far too poor.</strong></p><h2>Update: July 2026</h2><p>This article was originally written while the PDP still controlled the Federal Government. The party lost the presidency in 2015 and has remained outside the federal executive since then.</p><p>The update is important because the education problems discussed in the article did not disappear with the change of political party. Funding disputes, strikes, inadequate school facilities, teacher shortages, poor learning outcomes and the large number of out-of-school children have continued under later governments.</p><p>Recent World Bank estimates indicate that approximately 17.1 million Nigerian children aged 5–14 are out of school. The Bank also estimates that although a Nigerian child may expect to complete about 10.2 years of schooling by age 18, the amount actually learnt is equivalent to only about five years of effective education.</p><p>These continuing problems do not remove the PDP’s responsibility for its record between 1999 and 2015. They show, however, that Nigeria’s education crisis is deeper than the failure of one political party.</p><p>As the next election cycle approach, every party seeking power should be required to present clear, measurable and properly funded education plans. Citizens should also compare those promises with actual results rather than allowing manifestos to be forgotten immediately after elections.</p><p>Education should not be treated merely as a campaign promise. It should remain one of the main standards by which every government is judged.</p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLCYbEbyNLZBqYO8gG0syUdWKeUuFLB9t21ccHkMIgY7jQzNJsza2GcIv-6LswSRDhnBi7CEKSRrwlDjRlFcyEpsNvhjWWyLSl2xta3z0_F8XfAnEKXXsmHC5dXp0YPJJli5jfNNDok4/s1600/images.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="PDP Umbrella Logo" border="0" height="400" loading="lazy" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLCYbEbyNLZBqYO8gG0syUdWKeUuFLB9t21ccHkMIgY7jQzNJsza2GcIv-6LswSRDhnBi7CEKSRrwlDjRlFcyEpsNvhjWWyLSl2xta3z0_F8XfAnEKXXsmHC5dXp0YPJJli5jfNNDok4/s400/images.jpg" title="PDP" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peoples Democratic Party Logo</td></tr>
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PDP Manifesto on Education: Promises, Progress and Poor Performance

A basic litmus test for judging the performance of any government or political party is its achievement in the education sector. Education ...

APC MANIFESTO ON EDUCATION : FOR POSTERITY PURPOSE

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Nigerians are gearing up to another election on February 14 to elect new leaders into offices including the presidency. One party among the two major contenders,Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC) will form the next government, as such the party's' education plans and objectives are of importance as indicators of success or failures of the government after the four (4) years of its governance. </div>
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The APC manifesto on education is being reproduced here for posterity purpose as the party appears to have greater chances of forming the next government due to its masses appeal and promises of a better Nigeria than the era of the PDP in government. If the party eventually forms the next government, here are its plans on education for Nigerians - and the party was right when it says "our future depends on it (quality education)" :</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Introduction</b></span></h3>
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We must invest in quality teachers, schools and colleges to equip current and future generations with the knowledge and skills they need to gain employment, live productive lives and contribute to the welfare of their communities. Our future depends on it.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>APC’s Road map for Free Relevant Quality Education Includes</b>: </span></h4>
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◾ Make the right of every Nigerian child to receive a free, relevant and quality education a reality, based on free and comprehensive primary and secondary education. ◾ Provide free tertiary education to students pursuing Science and Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). </div>
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◾ Provide free tertiary education to education majors and stipends prior to their employment as teachers. ◾ Create incentives and dedicate special attention to the education of girls. </div>
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◾ Ensure every child attending primary school is properly nourished and ready to learn by providing a Free Meal a Day. </div>
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◾ Invest in better equipping and staffing Teacher Training Colleges and provide financial and progression incentives to attract and retain good teachers</div>
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◾ Revamp and restructure education curricula from primary to tertiary levels with a view to ensuring students acquire the right skills for employment, entrepreneurship and innovation. </div>
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◾ Prepare young adults for the jobs of the future by expanding the focus on science and technology at our colleges and universities. </div>
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◾ Improve the ability of people to gain employment in a variety of fields through greater access to technical and vocational training.</div>
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APC MANIFESTO ON EDUCATION : FOR POSTERITY PURPOSE

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ESTIMATE OF STUDENTS VICTIM TO BOKO HARAM ATTACKS

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Indication emerged yesterday of the estimate number of students that may have lost their lives to the ongoing insurgency plaguing the Northeastern part of Nigeria. <br /> </div>
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According to the Northern Students Association of Nigeria (NSAN) which gave the figure, over 500 students have lost their lives in direct attacks on schools and students in the region within the last 3 years, excluding a significant number of students receiving treatment for various degree injuries, some of which are critical. The leader of the association, Musa Terrang, said the group compiled the number of students killed through their committees attached to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Red Crescent Nigeria. <br /> </div>
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Boko Haram, the group which had claimed responsibility for the attacks, considered Western education a sin and has targeted schools, students and teachers in the troubled region. Scores of students at Federal Government College, Buni Yadi lost their lives when the group raided the school in a pre-dawn attack, in the same year, 2014, the group also claim responsibility for the kidnapping of over 200 school girls in Chibok, Borno State, most of the girls are yet to regain freedom or return to their families. <br /> </div>
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While schools and students may have bear less brunt of the group's attack, its mantra has always been "Western education is a sin" thereby making everything education their primary targets and due to lack of official figure by government of the group's impact on education, the figure released by NSAN offers an indication of the scale of damages to the education sector in the region.</div>
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ESTIMATE OF STUDENTS VICTIM TO BOKO HARAM ATTACKS

Indication emerged yesterday of the estimate number of students that may have lost their lives to the ongoing insurgency plaguing the Nort...

MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSES (MOOC) :. LEARNING ON THE WEB

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Learning is a continual process - it never ceases. And several Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) through many platforms have sprang up over the last decade to provide life time continual education to everyone in every corner of the globe where there's an internet connection. This provides an endless opportunities to learn new things, acquire new skills and keep up to date in one's area of interest. In case you are wondering what exactly is Massive Open Online Courses, MOOCs are virtual classes of diverse or specialized courses offered to unrestricted number of learners -usually for free - over the internet. <br />
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The benefits of taking online courses abound, asides achieving the objectives of learning, there is also learning flexibility and opportunity to interact and share ideas through dedicated forums. Through personal experience with edx, learners - on busy schedules - also have opportunity to learn at their own pace through auditing of archived courses. Also, learners can earn certificates of achievement which they can utilize for employment opportunities and or career development. <br />
There are several MOOC platform where learners can enroll for courses of interest, but for a start, I personally would recommend edx - where I have earn several certificates on different courses. </div>
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<a href="http://www.akomst.blogspot.in/2013/11/study-online-for-certificate-at-harvard.html?m=1">Learn more about edx</a></h4>
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<a href="http://www.akomst.blogspot.in/p/blog-page.html">View sample of my certificates </a></h4>
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Other platforms are:<br />
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<a href="http://www.khanacademy.org/">Khan Academy</a> </h3>
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A successful MOOC platform where you can learn "everything" from mathematics, science courses, computer programming, history, art, economic, in one place and for free. <br />
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 <a href="http://www.uopeople.edu/">University of the People</a> </h3>
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 UoP is tuition free online university - you don't have to pay to earn a degree ! The platform has over 2,000 alumni from more than 150 countries to date. At UoP, you can apply and secure admission to study business administration, science courses including computer science. You now need only internet connection to earn a degree !<br />
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 <a href="http://www.iversity.org/en/362?r=0e9d6">iversity</a> </h3>
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An interesting MOOC platform where you can learn variety of skills and university level courses including business administration, history, sciences, art etc. I undertook two courses on the platform and would also recommend the site, here is a referrer <a href="http://www.iversity.org/en/c/362?r=0e9d6">link</a>. </div>
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<a href="http://www.nou.edu.ng/NOUN_OCL/courses.html">National Open University</a> </h3>
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It has a vast archive of course materials for lots of university courses. You can download the coursewares to read or use as instructional material in lecturing. </div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/education">YouTube ED</a> </h3>
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It's a dedicated channel for education, just type a search term of your interest in the search box and the results are sure to meet your needs. Explore the site to your maximum benefit and learn whatever you want through video tutorials. </div>
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This are just few of many MOOC platforms on the world wide web, edx recently made open its platform's source code, which means, more universities, institutions or just about any educator can establish a MOOC with ease. So, expect a boom in MOOC - the more, the better - and be sure I will keep adding more platform to the list as I discover them.  </div>
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Happy Learning !</div>
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<a href="http://www.akomst.blogspot.com/2014/02/free-rice-free-education.html?m=1">Feed and educate and child at no cost to you.</a> United Nation Charity</h4>
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<a href="http://akomst.blogspot.com/2014/01/corporal-punishments-in-nigerian.html">Corporal punishments alternatives in school </a></h4>
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<a href="http://www.akomst.blogspot.com/2014/12/blog-post.html?m=1">Plaque of mass failure (2010-2014 statistics) and why</a></h4>
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MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSES (MOOC) :. LEARNING ON THE WEB

Learning is a continual process - it never ceases. And several Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) through many platforms have sprang up ov...

Akomst Education