Gov. Dickson seeks to make Niger Delta varsity self-sustaining

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State on Wednesday pledged to inject funds to the infrastructural and manpower development of the state-owned Niger Delta University and make it financially autonomous.
Dickson made the pledge in Yenagoa during the submission of the interim report on NDU by the Chairman of the committee set up to review its operations, Prof. Stephen Odiowei.
He noted that NDU had the potential for self sustainability, adding that the challenge of the government was how to raise funds to close the gap of neglect the institution suffered in the past by investing to raise its capacity.
Dickson also pledged to support the committee to ensure that it formulated a development plan for the university.
He promised to study the interim report with a view to taking the most appropriate decisions that would impact positively on the institution.
Restating the government’s stand on subvention for tertiary institutions, Dickson noted that it was a sustainable means to reduce cost of running and encourage infrastructural development.

Over 50% registered companies evade education tax – TETFund

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has alleged that over 50 per cent of the registered companies in the country are evading the two per cent education tax.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Dr. Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, who made this known yesterday in Abuja when the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Services visited the agency, listed the dwindling collection of the two per cent education tax as one of the challenges of the fund.
According to Baffa, the falling price of crude oil and the inability to access the portal of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to know what is paid in real time for easy reconciliation are the other problems being faced by the fund.
The TETFund boss said it had so far allocated N156.3 billion to its special intervention projects in the nation’s public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
Baffa said the fund expended the billions of naira to boost physical infrastructure in the tertiary institutions through annual direct disbursement and the high impact projects.

JAMB introduces flexible cut-off marks for admission seekers

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced flexible cut-off marks to expand admissions to tertiary institutions of learning in the country.
Registrar of the Board, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, stated this on Monday at the second technical committee meeting on “2016 Admissions to Tertiary Institutions” held at the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri.
According to the Registrar, the meeting was principally aimed at finding solution to the army of admission seekers who were admitted in the first batch.
“The purpose of today’s meeting is essentially to consider admissions of our teeming applicants who were not considered during the first exercise. ​Your Excellency, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, kindly recall that at the two (2) previous meetings in Kano and Abuja, I stated that the Board would cooperate with the various institutions in carrying out the mandates of their respective Senates and Academic Boards on admission matters. Therefore, the Board would not impose candidates on them but, as a referee, would

Tension in FUNAAB as SSANU protest sack of 23 colleagues

Tension enveloped the crisis–ridden Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Monday morning as hundreds of Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) from universities in Western Zone blocked the access roads to FUNAAB in protest over the sack of 23 of their colleagues by the institution’s management.
Scores of students, visitors, lecturers and other members of the university community caught unaware by the blockade of the FUNAAB Alabata road, had a hectic time moving to or fro the university.
The protesting SSANU used born fire, vehicles and human shield to obstruct traffic flow to draw attention to what they called injustice and victimisation of members by FUNAAB management while motorists rode on greenland to beat the obstructions.
Many of the workers simply abandoned their vehicles on the road and trekked, and others managed to board the commercial motor – cycles called Okada in threes to access FUNAAB once reputed as about the most peaceful university in Nigeria before it caved in to an intractable internal crisis in the last three months.

Exam malpractices: WAEC approves total cancellation of results

The Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC), of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has approved appropriate sanctions in all established cases of malpractice, as prescribed in the Rules and Regulations governing the conduct of the Council’s examinations.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the 62nd meeting of NEC WAEC held in Lagos.
After diligent deliberations, It approved that the entire results of candidates involved in proven cases, which attract Cancellation of Entire Results (CER) be cancelled, while subject results of those involved in proven cases which attract Cancellation of Subject Results (CSR), be similarly cancelled.
The Committee said further that some candidates would also suffer other sanctions such as barring them from sitting for the Council’s examinations for a certain number of years while some schools will be derecognised, while their Principals reported to the Ministry of Education for disciplinary action while erring Supervisors

Authorities hoard furniture in Sokoto school where students sit on bare floor

The Sokoto State Committee on the Implementation of State of Emergency in Education, has discovered 200 sets of furniture locked up at a school where students sit on bare floor for lessons.
A statement issued by Imam Imam, spokesman to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, said the discovery was made during an assessment visit to Hafsat Ahmadu Bello Memorial Secondary School, Sokoto.
Pupils sit on floor as school locks chairs away
It said: “Only a few classes in the school have enough seats to accommodate them. For long, they have to put up with taking lectures while seated on bare floor.
“Most use prayer mats to protect their white tops from the floor’s dust, while others come to classes with

Heavy pollution shuts schools in Iran’s capital

Exhaust fumes from millions of cars and motorcycles that ply Tehran's roads account for 80 percent of its pollution, which increases in winter as emissions fail to rise above cold air.Atta Kenare/AFP

Tehran officials shut schools on Monday as the first of the winter’s heavy pollution hit the Iranian capital.
A blanket of choking brown-white smog descended on the city on Sunday, blocking out the view of the mountains that line its northern edge and leading many of its 14 million residents to retreat indoors or don face masks in the street.
The level of the deadliest PM2.5 particles hit 156 on Monday — more than three times the level considered safe by the World Health Organisation.
“Kindergartens and primary schools are closed on Monday in Tehran and most of the cities of the province,” the Ministry of Education announced, according to official agency Irna.
Officials extended traffic restrictions that alternate cars with odd and even licence plates in two central parts of the city, and deployed ambulances to wait in the busiest and dirtiest areas.
Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rode the metro to work on Sunday in a bid to encourage people

Court adjourns El-Rufai’s case against ex-lecturer to Nov. 25

Justice Bilkisu Mohammed of Kaduna High Court has adjourned the case of inciting public statement against Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai by a former lecturer of Kaduna State University, KASU, Dr. John Danfulani, to November 25 for hearing.
Ruling on the matter yesterday, the Judge asked the prosecution to produce all its witnesses on the next adjourned date in order to commence hearing on the matter which has been filed since August 29th.
Earlier, State Counsel, Abdullahi Isiaka had prayed for an adjournment in order to serve witness summons on his two witnesses. He said that since the last adjourned date, the summons have not been signed because the trial judge was attending a seminar.
Barrister Mark Jacob, leading four other lawyers for the defence, had argued that the first witness is a nominal complainant and so he does not need to be served a summon before appearing in court.
He, however, conceded for the matter to be adjourned to today, a motion that the prosecuting counsel opposed because the date was not convenient for him. After due consultations, Justice Mohammed adjourned the case to November 25 for hearing.