Monday 15 January 2018

Kaduna projects N337m for Teachers' Training

Amidst crisis over the quality of teachers in public schools, Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) plans to spend N337.19 million on teacher training in 2018.
The state had recently sacked about 22, 000 primary school teachers over poor performance, generating protest and strike by the Nigeria Union of Teachers.
It indicated that, “N337.19 million was earmarked for leadership and capacity training for school head teachers and assistants; jolly phonics training for 1,200 teachers and training of 200 Almajiri school teachers on literacy and numeracy skills.
“Others are training on use of Teachers Guide; training of 230 care givers on pre-primary curriculum; training of class teachers on reading methodology and post training impact survey.
“70 associate counsellors from the 23 local government areas will be trained on strategies for effective counselling skills in basic education; and training of 100 quality assurance evaluators.
“Other training includes evaluators and principals workshop on evaluating and student learning; evaluating and tracking student; workshop on coordination, monitoring and reporting and impact assessment on training of inclusive education teachers on Braille and sign language.”
 Reports shows that the board had a total budget of N6.93 billion out of which N6.75 billion was for capital N184.52 million for recurrent expenditure.
This represented 100 per cent increase from the N3.36 billion allocated to the board for capital and recurrent expenditure in the 2017 budget.
A breakdown of the figure shows that N3.53 billion would be spent on the construction of classrooms, offices and toilets for primary schools, while N1.89 billion was for building classrooms and laboratories in junior secondary schools.
The board would also spend N15.1 million on the construction of Early Child Care Development Education games village in nine primary schools in nine local government areas.
It indicated that N821.27 million would go into procurement of furniture, materials for skills acquisition, teaching and learning aids, computers, magnetic boards, mattresses, sporting and instructional materials.
“N143.58 million was allocated for monitoring and supervision of projects, while N13.06 million was for maintenance of project monitoring vehicles.”
 The reports states that the state would receive the 2016 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Special Education Intervention fund amounting to N6.38 billion during the year.
It would also receive N340.87 from UBEC Intervention on Teachers’ Professional Development and N32.72 million from the Inclusive Education Trust Fund.

NUT tells members not to resume in states owing salaries.


Don’t resume in states owing salaries, NUT tells members

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has restated its position that the teachers in 10 states that are still owing salary arrears should not resume work until all arrears were paid.



General-Secretary of the union, Dr. Mike Ike-Ene, spoke on the directive in an interview, on Monday, in Abuja.
Ike-Ene said that 10 out of 36 states still owed teachers several months of salary arrears in spite of the Paris Club Refund given to states by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He listed the states to include; Abia, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Ekiti, Kogi, Ondo, Kwara and Taraba, describing them as chronic debtors as far as teachers’ salaries are concerned.
According to him, Abia owes primary school teachers four months and secondary school teachers one month, Adamawa; two months to primary school teachers and one month to primary school teachers and one month to secondary.
others are Bayelsa;seven and half months to primary school teachers and four and half months to secondary school teachers, Benue owes 12 months to primary school teachers and 7 months to to secondary school school teachers. 
Ekiti 8 months to primary school teachers and 5 months to secondary, Kogi 3 months to primary school teachers and 3 months to secondary.
Taraba; 6 months to primary schools teachers, Delta; 4 months to primary school and 1 month to secondary. Kwara and Ondo owe teachers 3 and 4 months' salary arrears of 2016 respectively, he explained.
Ike-Ene said that the union has directed its members in the affected states, especially the primary school teachers not to resume work until all the arrears were cleared.
He also said that NUT had in 2017 appealed to the governors concerned to use the period of the christmas holiday to clear all the arrears but yet some still failed to do so.

NYSC Suspends Orientation in Taraba, Benue States






The National Youth Service Corps says the 2017 Batch ‘B’ Stream II orientation camp scheduled to hold in Benue from January 16 to February 5 has been suspended till further notice.
The scheme made the announcement on its official Facebook page in Abuja on Sunday.
It said that a new date would be communicated in due course to prospective corps members deployed to the state for the orientation.
“The NYSC management wishes to inform all prospective corps members deployed to Benue and Taraba states that the 2017 Batch ‘B’ Stream II orientation course scheduled to hold in Benue camp has been suspended.
“A new date will be communicated to you in due course. All inconveniences are highly regrettable,” the scheme said.
Earlier, the NYSC had issued a statement that the 2017 Batch ‘B’ Stream II orientation course would hold in only 15 camps nationwide.
The camps were in Abia,  Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Enugu, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and the FCT. 

Bayelsa state Governor, Mr. Dickson puts primary school teachers' salaries on first line charge

YENAGOA—BAYELSA State Governor, Mr Seriake Dickson, weekend addressed the lingering issue of payment of primary school teachers’ salaries in the state, by placing it on first line charge. 



He also directed the Commissioner for Local Government Administration, Pastor Agatha Goma under the supervision of the deputy governor to ensure its strict compliance.




                                                             Governor Dickson 



 Dickson in a statement in Yenagoa, said with the current arrangement, the government will deduct the funds meant for the payment of the salaries from the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee, JAAC, in order to pay directly to the teachers.

 He explained that the government took the decision because of the difficulties encountered by the councils in the payment of the teachers’ salaries.

 The governor reiterated the fact that it was statutorily the responsibility of the councils to pay salaries of primary school teachers as provided for in the law but the latest measure is aimed at avoiding any encumbrances. 

He said, “So as we are starting January 2018, I have given instructions just as we at the state did not owe salaries last year, the councils should not owe.  I have told them to prune down their staff if they have to. These people are working so you do not owe them.” 

“My team is already working on another decision, which I will announce later. Because of the investments we have made in education, the salaries of primary school teachers which is the responsibility of the local government tier of government has become a big challenge and I am not happy about it.


 “Initially, we were paying 80 percent in this state. Later when our revenue went down, we reduced it to 60 percent. In the recession, when it became hard to pay state salaries I told them local government take over their responsibilities. I couldn’t be Father Christmas. 

“So go and prune down your staff, the people who don’t go to work, then pay the teachers if they are coming to work. So that is where we are, but I have seen the difficulties and so from this month we are announcing a stop to that.

 “From this month salaries of all teachers will be on the first line charge. What that means is that we will take the money from the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee but will do the payment directly to the primary school teachers ourselves.”

Wednesday 10 January 2018

UNN non-academic staff unions threaten to distrupt water, electricity suppy

  The non-academic staff unions of UNN advised students of the institution to stay at home.

 The union insisted that no non-academic staff will enter any office to work until government meets their demands .
 However, the chairman of ASUU in the university, Ifeanyichukwu Abada, said lecturers were ready to teach students since ASUU was not on strike 

The Joint Action Committees (JAC) of trade unions in the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), on Wednesday, January 10, threatened to shut down electricity and water supply in the university.
 Trade unions, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) said they were participating in the on-going strike to press for improved welfare.

 Paul Arua, UNN’s chairman of JAC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nsukka, that the nationwide strike of non-academic staff of universities would continue until the federal government meets demands of workers. 

 “I am leading the enforcement team to ensure that no non-academic staff enters any office to work in UNN until government meets our demands, then national executives will suspend the strike

 “As part of making the strike to be total in UNN, the enforcement team will on Wednesday shut down electricity and water supply in UNN.’’ 

He advised students that have returned to go back home as non-academic staff currently on nationwide strike would not allow offices and classrooms to open for office work or lecture. 

“The best thing for the students is to go home till non-academic staff suspends its strike; there will be no lectures, there will be no electricity and water supply in the university,” he said.

When contacted, the chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in UNN, Ifeanyichukwu Abada, said lecturers were ready to teach students since ASUU was not on strike. 

“Students are welcome back to campus and should prepare to receive lectures because lecturers will be coming to class to teach,” he said.

 In swift reaction to the threat of non-academic staff of the university to shut down electricity and water supply, the vice-chancellor of UNN, Professor Benjamin Ozumba, said what it means is that leaders of non-academic staff in UNN have a hidden agenda.

 “I know non-academic staff of universities are on nationwide strike, I have not heard any university where the union shut down electricity and water supply in campus. 

“Unless leaders of non-academic staff in UNN have hidden agenda and want to hide under the ongoing nationwide strike of non-academic staff to execute it,” he said.

  It would be recalled that UNN students were expected to resume academic activities on Monday, January 8, 2018 after the Yuletide.

 The unions on the platform of the Joint Action Commitee (JAC) also threatened to take back concessions they earlier granted, Premium Times reports.

 Samson Ugwoke, chairman of the joint committee, on Sunday, December 7, made this known in a statement he signed.  

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational, Associated Institutions (NASU) as well as National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) commenced an indefinite strike on Thursday, December 4.

Tuesday 9 January 2018

Unilag Info Tech unit gate has been shut by NASU

The Non-Academic Staff Union has locked the University of Lagos Information Technology Unit gate.
Reasons for the union’s action are yet to be ascertained.
However, Naija News recalls that in December NASU and other unions had  advocated for better pay of workers.
More Info shortly.

Police confirm killing of NYSC member in Akwa Ibom state

Corp members during their swearing-in ceremony (File Photo)
Police have confirmed the death of a serving National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, member in Akwa Ibom State.
The corps member was shot dead in Eket on Sunday by yet to be identified gun men who arrived in a motor cycle according to a statement issued on Monday by the Akwa Ibom state police command.
The police spokesperson in the state, Bala Elkana, said the late Corps member was visiting in the company of some other Corp members at Akanimo Street when he was shot.
The victim’s name wasn’t released by the Police but said he was serving at a public school at Nung Obong in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area of the state and was 27 years old.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, has visited the scene of the crime and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Police boss has also deployed a special force from the State Criminal Investigation Department to Eket to investigate the killing and ensure justice for the dead.

Just in, JAMB Announces New Dates for 2018 UTME



JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede
The Registrar of the board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, at a meeting with stakeholders tagged, “Strategic planning on the conduct of the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation,”said the examination will commence on March 9 to 17 .
Oloyede said the mock examination initially slated to hold between January 22 and 24 has been scheduled to hold on the first week in February due to the ongoing strike by non-teaching staff of universities.
He said, “We are unable to access our CBT centres because most of them are in the universities and non teaching staff are on strike.”
“Regarding the sale of forms, about 10 per cent of the expected candidates have registered, the number of candidates that have registered now is about 283,319,” he added.
According to the registrar, the prohibition of materials is applicable to candidates, supervisors as well as examiners.
He said, “No candidates, examiners, invigilators will be allowed to enter the examination hall with wrist watches, pencils except HB pencils …and cameras.”

Teachers strike will not stop Kaduna's education reforms, El-Rufai says.


Kaduna Capital School
The Kaduna State Government on Monday commended teachers who shunned the strike called by their union and reported for duty in their schools. The government vowed that the strike will not affect its education reform.
The Nigerian Union of Teachers had called on teachers to stay away from schools, which resumed on Monday across the state, over job security and welfare issues.
The strike was provoked by the planned sack of about 21,000 teachers last year for failing a competency test.
Teachers in public secondary and primary schools across the state on Monday began the indefinite strike action.
But the government said in a statement by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s spokesperson said although NUT officials tried to prevent teachers from working, many defied intimidation and reported for duty.
Samuel Aruwan said the strike action will not force the government to restore bad teachers.
The government had on Sunday threatened to sack any teacher that joined the strike.
Monday’s statement said the government was collating reports over the strike from its education administrators.
It reiterated that all teachers that absented themselves from work would face the severest penalties applicable in the public service rules.
A reminder of the potency of these rules had been issued in previous government statements.
“Across the state, the illegality of the NUT’s strike action is being compounded by physical attempts to frustrate those teachers who wish to work. No law permits any worker to tamper with another’s right to work. The attention of the security agencies has been drawn to this dangerous pattern of conduct.
“The Kaduna State Government is resolute in its determination to protect the future of the children of the poor. Ordinary citizens are entitled to expect public primary schools to deliver a decent standard of education. At least two million pupils are enrolled in public primary schools and their interests come first.
“Government is delighted to inform the public that marking of scripts of the 43,000 applicants for teaching positions is now concluded. The recruitment process to inject 25,000 qualified teachers into our public schools will now move to the next phase.
“Kaduna state will not allow the selfishness of a tiny minority to ruin the future of two million children,” Mr. Aruwan said in the statement.