Category: Education

JAC of SSANU and NASU had for about a month called the attention of the government to its exclusion from the payment of the withheld salaries, which it commenced payment for the Academic Staff Union of Universities in February.

Their salaries were withheld when the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ against ASUU, SSANU, NAATS who embarked on a strike that lasted eight months, four months, and five-and-half months respectively in 2022.

NAATS also joined and began its three-day warning strike on Wednesday.

Speaking on Sunday during a Zoom meeting with journalists, the National President, JAC of SSANU and NASU, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, explained that all the unions would resume on Monday.

He, however, lamented that the government had yet to respond to the unions’ demands.

Ibrahim said the FG had not paid the non-teaching staff, adding that it would meet with the National Executive Council to decide the next line of action.

He said in a statement on Sunday, “Consequently, you are hereby informed that the seven-day warning strike shall end at midnight of Sunday, March 24, 2024, and normal work will resume on Monday, March 25, 2024.”

Punch

The decision was part of the resolution of the joint action committee of the two unions, after a meeting which held in Akure at the weekend.

According to the SSANU president, Mohammed Ibrahim, who read the communiqué of the meeting to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the decision to embark on the warning strike was taken as a last resort since several protest letters and other communications with the Federal Government did not result in the payment of the withheld salaries.

The statement added: “If nothing is done by the Federal Government to positively address this situation and respond to our previous letters to them, the members of the two unions may be forced to meet soon to take all lawful and stringent decisions on the matter”.

The fresh development comes on the heels of the unions accusing FG of treating their members with “disdain”.

President Bola Tinubu had directed the payment of withheld salaries for university workers owing to their strike of 2022.

However, SSANU, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) said they were yet to get salaries for the said period and had issued a one-week ultimatum about two weeks ago.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, the SSANU chief alleged abandonment of the unions by the FG.

“We have to speak like this because we have been clearly shown that we do not matter in the system. But we all know that there is no university that can function without the non-teaching staff because we are majorly populated by professionals. We own the engine of the administration of every university. They are treating this segment of staff with some disdain. It does not speak good of the system,” he said during the show.

SSANU and NASU said they have done everything within their powers to prevail on their members to maintain industrial peace and tranquility.

“While we appreciate the Federal Government for paying our academic counterpart, we also deem it necessary that our members are also paid,” the statement said, adding that the unions could no longer guarantee industrial harmony on the campuses should the government fail to pay them.

Channels TV

This year’s intervention witnessed a boost as compared to last year where over N320 billion was disbursed.

This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, on Friday, during the Fund’s Strategic planning meeting with heads of beneficiary institutions in Abuja.

Echono said from the total, 90.75 per cent is budgeted for direct disbursement and 8.94 per cent for some designated special projects while a stabilisation 2.27 per cent is allowed to enable the Fund respond to emerging issues.

He said each iniversity will get, for the 2024 intervention cycle, the total sum of N1,906,944,930.00, each Polytechnic N1,165,355,235.00 while each College of Education shall get N1,398,426,282.00.

Recall that the 2023 intervention cycle saw each university receiving N1,154,732,133.00; Polytechnic – N699,344,867.00, while each College of Education got N800,862,602.

Echono said the approach is inclusive of the difference between actual collections and the projections made for November and December 2023 collections as requested and approved by the President.

He said, “Based on this approval: each university shall get, for the Year 2024 intervention cycle, the total sum of N1,906,944,930.00. This comprises N1,656,944,930.00 as annual direct disbursement and N250 million as zonal intervention.

“Similarly, each polytechnic shall get N1,165,355,235.00 comprising N1,015,355,235.00 as annual direct disbursement and N150 million as zonal intervention, while each College of Education shall get N1,398,426,282.00 comprising N1,248,426,282.00 as annual direct disbursement and N150 million as zonal intervention.

“It is pertinent to note that this represents a very significant increase above our last year’s intervention and indeed every other year, since inception.

“This remarkable success is due to sustained efforts at expanding and increasing the efficiency of collection of the Education Tax, and the gracious concurrence of Mr. President for an increase in the tax from 2.5 per cent to 3.0 per cent in the year 2023.”

Echono further said the meeting was also an avenue to receive feedback and evaluate the performance of their intervention lines, while calling on all heads of institutions to ensure the smooth, timely, judicious, and effective implementation and utilization of the year 2024 intervention allocation, to make the much-needed impact in our respective tertiary institutions.

“I also wish to advise that in addition to the broad based budget and project monitoring committee stated in your letter of allocation, you should consult widely with the community in the implementation of your TETFund projects,” he said.

He urged heads of institutions to ensure timely payments to contractors and vendors to enable the proper completion of projects and mitigate the incidence of contractor writing letters of complaints to the Fund.

While expressing gratitude to the President for his commitment to the development of education in his Renewed Hope agenda and to Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman (SAN), for his leadership, Echono said the approved new intervention lines in the Annual Direct Disbursement include the establishment of Career Centers/Unit, in all categories of beneficiary institutions as well as the Institution Based Skills development for polytechnics.

For the Special Direct Disbursements, he said TETFUND had increased the allocation for the Special High Impact Programme (SHIP), and the number of benefitting institutions had also been increased to two per geopolitical zone per category giving a total of 36 beneficiary institutions.

Other areas of Special Direct Disbursement, he said are provision for hostels using the Public/Private Partnership arrangement, innovation hubs, disaster recovery, security infrastructure, completion of abandoned projects and many others.

“In our bid to resolve the problems arising from the increase in exchange rates to our scholars, we have made provisions in the Year 2024 intervention to address the shortfall therein,” he noted.

Speaking, the acting Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Zubairu Abdullahi, said there is a new hope and commitment from the President that everyone must key into.

He urged stakeholders to redouble efforts to achieve President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.

Daily Trust

According to an official statement by JAMB, the revised registration fees for UTME are now N7,700, inclusive of a mock examination, and N6,200 for UTME registration without the mock examination.

Previously, the cost of the JAMB form without a mock exam stood at N5,700, while the application form inclusive of a mock exam was priced at N6,700.

Foreign candidates seeking to obtain the application documents will now do so at a fee of $30.

JAMB is expected to provide a comprehensive breakdown of these fees upon releasing the registration details on or before January 15, 2024.

In addition to the adjustments in UTME registration fees, JAMB has unveiled the registration period for the sale of Direct Entry (DE) application documents in 2024.

The sale of Direct Entry application documents is scheduled to commence on February 28, 2024, and will conclude on March 28, 2024.

As the process of creating profile codes for registration is currently ongoing, JAMB has advised prospective candidates to stay updated on official announcements and guidelines to facilitate a smooth registration process.

Detailed guidelines on profile code generation will be provided closer to the registration commencement date on January 15, 2024.

“This is to inform all prospective 2024 UTME/DE candidates that creation of Profiles for registration has officially started, while the sale of application documents will commence on Monday 15th January 2024,” JAMB wrote on its official X page. “You are to please take note of the following important dates for the coming UTME/DE exercise.”

Leadership

In a press briefing in Minnaon Tuesday, NECO’s Registrar, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, said the result summary shows that 61.6 percent scored five credits, including English and Mathematics.

The number of candidates who registered for the exam was 1,205,888, and the number of candidates who sat for the exams was 1,196,985.

Giving a breakdown of the figures, Wushishi said 616,398 of the candidates were male and 580,587 females sat for the Examination.

Of the figure, the number of candidates with five credits and above, including English and Maths were 737, 308.

The number of candidates with five credits, irrespective of English and Mathematics, is 1,013,611, representing 84.68 percent.

“Number of candidates registered for the examination is 1,205,888, representing 621,084 males and 584,804 Females,” he said.

“The number of candidates that sat is 1,196,985, representing 616,398 Males and 580,587 females. Number of candidates with five Credits and above, including English and Mathematics is 737,308, representing 61.60%.

“Number of candidates with five Credits and above, irrespective of English and Mathematics is 1,013,611, representing 84.68%.”

See the full speech by the NECO Registrar below:

NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL (NECO) PRESS BRIEFING ON THE RELEASE OF 2023 SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (SSCE) INTERNAL RESULTS, HELD ON FRIDAY 6TH OCTOBER, 2023 AT THE CONFERENCE HALL, NECO HEADQUARTERS, MINNA, NIGER STATE

BY PROFESSOR DANTANI IBRAHIM WUSHISHI

REGISTRAR/CHIEF EXECUTIVE

PROTOCOL

I want to start by thanking the Almighty Allah for sparing our lives to witness yet another occasion marking the release of the 2023 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal results.  It is my honour and privilege, therefore, to welcome you all to this press briefing, on behalf of the Management and Staff of the National Examinations Council (NECO).

As usual, I want to start by expressing our sincere gratitude and appreciation to some key agencies and some States’ Ministries of Education for lending support in the area of logistics.  We thank you all for your unending support and collaboration.  We equally want to thank our friends from the fourth estate of the realm for your continuous support and partnership.

Our special thanks goes to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR as well as to the Honourable Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN, the Honourable Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu and the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Andrew David Adejoh for their guidance and support.

I want to also extend our deep appreciation to the National Assembly, especially members of the Senate and House Committees on Education for their support, guidance and collaboration.  Worthy of special mention also are our dedicated examiners, without whom today’s event would not have been possible.  We thank you for working according to schedule and for keeping faith with us. Our teeming staff are not left behind.  I commend you for your hard work, dedication and commitment.

The 2023 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal was conducted from Monday 10th July to Friday 11th August 2023 and the Marking Exercise took place from Wednesday 30th August to Friday 15th September 2023.  This means that this year, we are releasing our results 58 days after the last written paper.  This is as a result of our desire to ensure that we release the complete results, rather than in batches.

I am therefore highly pleased to inform you that all the processes leading to the successful release of the 2023 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal results have been concluded, which is why we are all gathered here today.

Distinguished guests, my dear Colleagues and gentlemen of the Press, it gladdens my heart to notify you that reports we have received so far indicate that the 2023 SSCE Internal has been certified the best in recent times.  We are very thankful to God for this and to all those who made it possible.

On this refreshing note, may I crave your indulgence to permit me to release the highlights of the results below:

This year, we have designed the analyses in a variety of ways that will help awaken Stakeholders to the realization of their true position in the national sphere.  Our aim is to stimulate a healthy discourse towards improvement.  This is also in line with our mandate that empowers us to conduct a Standard National Assessment of educational performance at Junior and Senior Secondary School levels.  The highlights are as follows:

Number of candidates registered for the examination is 1,205,888, representing 621,084 males and 584,804 Females.

Number of candidates that sat is 1,196,985, representing 616,398 Males and 580,587 females.

Number of candidates with five Credits and above, including English and Mathematics is 737,308, representing 61.60%.

Number of candidates with five Credits and above, irrespective of English and Mathematics is 1,013,611, representing 84.68%.

Number of candidates with special needs is 1,542, with the breakdown as follows:

913 candidates with hearing impairment

162 candidates with visual impairment

103 candidates with Albinism

61 candidates with Autism

149 candidates with low vision

154 candidates with Adermatoglyphia, i.e. candidates with no     fingerprints

Number of candidates involved in various forms of malpractice in 2023 is 12,030 (0.07%) as against 13,594 (0.13%) in 2022 representing 61.60%.

More details about the results can be found in the following tables (attached).

Tables 1 and 2 – performance of candidates by subject.

Tables 3 A and B – Analysis of candidates’ performance by States (Five Credits and above, including English and Mathematics and five Credits and above irrespective of English and Mathematics).

Table 4 – Standard Educational Performance ranking of States (Males and Females) 5 Credits and above including English and Mathematics.

Table 5 – Male Standard Educational performance ranking of States. 5 Credits and above, including English and Mathmatics.

Table 6 – Female Standard Educational Performance ranking of States. 5 Credits and above, including English and Mathematics.

Table 7 – Standard Educational Performance Ranking of States (Males and Females). 5 Credits and above, irrespective of English and Mathematics.

Table 8 – Male Standard Educational Performance ranking of States 5 Credits and above, irrespective of English and Mathematics.

Table 9 – Female Standard Educational Performance ranking of States 5 Credits and above irrespective of English and Mathematics.

Table 10 – Standard Educational Performance ranking (North Central Zone).

Table 11 –    Male Standard Educational Performance ranking

(North Central Zone)

Table 12 –    Female Standard Educational Performance ranking

(North Central Zone).

Table 13 –  Standard Educational Performance ranking (North East Zone)

Table 14 –   Male Standard Educational Performance ranking (North East Zone).

Table 15 – Female Standard Educational Performance ranking (North East Zone).

Table 16 – Standard Educational Performance ranking (North West Zone).

Table 17 – Male Standard Educational Performance ranking (North West Zone).

Table 18 – Female Standard Educational Performance ranking (North West Zone).

Table 19 – Standard Educational Performance ranking (South East Zone).

Table 20 – Male Standard Educational Performance ranking (South East Zone).

Table 21 – Female Standard Educational Performance ranking (South East Zone).

Table 22 – Standard Educational Performance ranking (South South Zone).

Table 23 – Male Standard Educational Performance ranking (South South Zone).

Table 24 – Female Standard Educational Performance ranking (South South Zone).

Table 25 – Standard Educational Performance ranking (South West Zone).

Table 26 – Male Standard Educational Performance ranking (South West Zone).

Table 27 – Female Standard Educational Performance ranking (South West Zone).

Table 28 – Comparison of malpractice by Type, 2022 and 2023 SSCE (Internal).

Table 29 – Analysis of Malpractice cases by Subject by Type, 2023 SSCE (Internal).

Table 30 – Malpractice by Type, 2023 SSCE (Internal).

In line with our resolve to identify and sanction erring Schools and Supervisors, ninety three (93) schools were found to have been involved in whole school (Mass) cheating.  They will be invited to the Council for discussion, after which appropriate sanctions will be applied.

Similarly, fifty two (52) Supervisors were recommended for blacklisting due to poor Supervision, Aiding and Abetting during the examination.

At this juncture, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to formally declare that the 2023 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal results are hereby released to the public.  By this release, candidates can now access their results on NECO website:  www.neco.gov.ng, using their examination registration numbers.

Thank you all for listening.

Prof. DANTANI IBRAHIM WUSHISHI

REGISTRAR/CHIEF EXECUTIVE

The Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr Yusuf Ibrahim Kofar Mata who made this known in a statement said the resolve is to alleviate the compounding financial hardships for the good people of the state thereby slashing the registration fees for the indigene students across the state-owned tertiary institutions.

He said the decision was made during the meeting with the heads of tertiary institutions, the visitor and the Governor of the state on Tuesday afternoon in the State Capital.

“His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has issued this heroic approval for the slash of 50% of the registration fees for all Kano State indigenes studying at state institutions to cushion the worsening economic condition the people have been going through in recent days all over the nation.

“The decision will further reduce the effect of this current economic adversity on passionate students and their ardent parents who might be suffering from the consequences of fuel subsidy removal and economic hardship which is making life very difficult for the masses as a result of unimaginable inflation of essential commodities.

“Therefore, with this notice, all indigenes of Kano State studying regular courses at Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil; Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano; Sa’adatu Rimi University of Education, Kumbotso; Aminu Kano College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Kano State Polytechnic; Audu Bako College of Agriculture, Dambatta; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso College of Advanced and Remedial Studies, Tudun Wada; Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies, are to enjoy the total relief of 50% reduction in the registration fee in the 2023/2024 academic session.”

He added that it is worth mentioning that the decision is in line with the core objective and overarching government focus on education, not only education but quality education and sustainable educational development in the state.

“On this note, His Excellence, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf is primed to hit the ground running with laudable pro-poor educational policies, such as the restoration of the foreign scholarship programme committed to sponsor 1,001 best graduates this year, unconditional payment of the registration fees of Kano indigene studying in Bayero University, Kano, and reopening of various institutes of entrepreneurship and vocational studies.

“The government is vivid in its resolve to redeem the glory of the state with these laudable programmes, which would surely enhance the survival chances of well-meaning individuals with the required skills and training, thereby making education accessible to everyone in the state.”

While congratulating the students, parents, and the people of Kano on the development, the Commissioner hoped that the beneficiaries and entire people of the state would lend their unflinching support and cooperation to the present administration in its frantic determination to bring overall progress and development of our dear state.

Daily Trust