A championship expected to foster the intellectual capacity of
students and prepare grounds for budding student politicians in
Nigerian universities will be hosted by the University of Calabar
(UNICAL), an official said.
The Dean of Students Affair of UNICAL, Prof. Eyong Ubana Eyong, made
the plan known during an interactive session with newsmen in Calabar
on Tuesday.
The First All Nigeria Universities Debating Championship billed for
Oct 20 through Oct. 26 will precede the Sixth Pan-African Universities
Debate championship which the university will also host from Nov. 29
to Dec. 8, Eyong said.
He said the debate was an all students affair to promote the culture
of debate in tertiary institutions, where the culture of listening,
dialogue and acceptance of superior argument to change the course of
action were encouraged.
He said that the theme of the debate would be "Corruption, Insecurity
and National Development'', to reflect Nigeria's current challenges.
Also, Mr David Ejim, a student debater, said the debate would be
recorded and streamed on the social media for students at home due to
the current strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities.
Ejim, who will feature in the tournament for UNICAL Debating Club,
said the institution was hoping to host to win.
He said that the debate was part of the development of young people in Nigeria.
He said that 11 universities out of the 102 universities in Nigeria
had registered for the tournament, which would use the British
Parliamentary Debate format to encourage critical thinking and
discourse.
In his speech, Mr Franklin David, the Chief Adjudicator for the
debate, said each of the participating institutions would present two
debating teams and one adjudicator at the championship.
He said the idea was to help the students in critical thinking and
tolerance of opinion.
"In Nigeria we are used to criticising policies of government and
politicians, but in this debate we will also not only criticise but
proffer solutions. (NAN)
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/10/unical-hosts-nigeria-universities-debating-championship/#sthash.xYqMmpfv.dpuf
Thursday, 17 October 2013
ASUU Strike: Government Blinks, Agrees To Spend N200b Each For Four Years To Bring Nigerian Universities Up To World Standard
Towards ending the ongoing ASUU strike, the Federal
Government has committed to spending N200 billion in the 2014 budget
on the universities as well as on each of the next three-four years
until the universities are brought to world-class standard. This is
in addition to the N100 billion dedicated and already made available
for 2013.
The government has also increased to N40 billion as a first
installment, funds for the payment of earned allowances to the
striking lecturers, an improvement from the N30 billion previously
released.
This information is contained in an internal Federal University of
Otuoke statement by Professor Bolaji Aluko, its Vice-Chancellor, seen
on Wednesday night by SaharaReporters.
On the earned allowances, he explained, "Government
will top it up with further releases once universities are through
with the disbursement of this new figure of N40 million, so
Vice-Chancellors are urged to expedite this disbursement within the
shortest possible time using guiding templates that have been sent by
the CVC," the circular said.
Professor Aluko said the development followed meetings on September 19
and Oct 11 of representatives of the Association of Vice-Chancellors
of Nigerian Universities, led by CVC Chairman, Prof. Hamisu of ATBU
and ASUU Representatives led by its President, Dr. N. Fagge with the
Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Arc.Namadi. Sambo,
Minister of Education Barr. N. Wike and others.
Of great interest to stakeholders, Vice-President Sambo, appealing to
ASUU to call off the strike, apologized for the "take-it-or-leave-it";
comments credited to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
at the onset of the strike. The Minister did not seem to have been
involved in either meeting, perhaps as the government's way of
soothing the feelings of the university teachers.
Other points of agreement at the meetings include the following:
Project Prioritization: Universities will now be allowed to determine
their priorities and not be "rail-roaded" into implementing a
pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment.
Decisions are not to be centralized.
TETFund Intervention: Government assured that the
operations of the TETFund will not be impaired, and that the regular
TETFund intervention disbursement to Universities will continue,
unaffected. So the NEEDS assessment capital outlays are in addition to
regular TETFund intervention.
Project Monitoring: A new Implementation Monitoring
Committee (IMC) for the NEEDS Assessment intervention for universities
has been set up to take over from the Suswan Committee. The new one is
under the Federal Ministry of Education and chaired by the Honorable
Minister of Education. In addition, to build confidence and ensure
faithful implementation and prevent any relapse as before, the Vice
President will meet quarterly with the IMC to monitor progress.
Blueprint: ASUU was mandated to submit a blue print
for revitalizing the Universities to the Vice President.
Prof. Aluko further stated that a signed document will soon be issued
to itemize the full issues on which the consensus he had outlined
here, as brokered by AVCNU, was reached.
Government has committed to spending N200 billion in the 2014 budget
on the universities as well as on each of the next three-four years
until the universities are brought to world-class standard. This is
in addition to the N100 billion dedicated and already made available
for 2013.
The government has also increased to N40 billion as a first
installment, funds for the payment of earned allowances to the
striking lecturers, an improvement from the N30 billion previously
released.
This information is contained in an internal Federal University of
Otuoke statement by Professor Bolaji Aluko, its Vice-Chancellor, seen
on Wednesday night by SaharaReporters.
On the earned allowances, he explained, "Government
will top it up with further releases once universities are through
with the disbursement of this new figure of N40 million, so
Vice-Chancellors are urged to expedite this disbursement within the
shortest possible time using guiding templates that have been sent by
the CVC," the circular said.
Professor Aluko said the development followed meetings on September 19
and Oct 11 of representatives of the Association of Vice-Chancellors
of Nigerian Universities, led by CVC Chairman, Prof. Hamisu of ATBU
and ASUU Representatives led by its President, Dr. N. Fagge with the
Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Arc.Namadi. Sambo,
Minister of Education Barr. N. Wike and others.
Of great interest to stakeholders, Vice-President Sambo, appealing to
ASUU to call off the strike, apologized for the "take-it-or-leave-it";
comments credited to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
at the onset of the strike. The Minister did not seem to have been
involved in either meeting, perhaps as the government's way of
soothing the feelings of the university teachers.
Other points of agreement at the meetings include the following:
Project Prioritization: Universities will now be allowed to determine
their priorities and not be "rail-roaded" into implementing a
pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment.
Decisions are not to be centralized.
TETFund Intervention: Government assured that the
operations of the TETFund will not be impaired, and that the regular
TETFund intervention disbursement to Universities will continue,
unaffected. So the NEEDS assessment capital outlays are in addition to
regular TETFund intervention.
Project Monitoring: A new Implementation Monitoring
Committee (IMC) for the NEEDS Assessment intervention for universities
has been set up to take over from the Suswan Committee. The new one is
under the Federal Ministry of Education and chaired by the Honorable
Minister of Education. In addition, to build confidence and ensure
faithful implementation and prevent any relapse as before, the Vice
President will meet quarterly with the IMC to monitor progress.
Blueprint: ASUU was mandated to submit a blue print
for revitalizing the Universities to the Vice President.
Prof. Aluko further stated that a signed document will soon be issued
to itemize the full issues on which the consensus he had outlined
here, as brokered by AVCNU, was reached.
ASUU Strike: Government Blinks, Agrees To Spend N200b Each For Four Years To Bring Nigerian Universities Up To World Standard
Towards ending the ongoing ASUU strike, the Federal Government has
committed to spending N200 billion in the 2014 budget on the
universities as well as on each of the next three-four years until the
universities are brought to world-class standard. This is in addition
to the N100 billion dedicated and already made available for 2013.
The government has also increased to N40 billion as a first
installment, funds for the payment of earned allowances to the
striking lecturers, an improvement from the N30 billion previously
released. This information is contained in an internal Federal
University of Otuoke statement by Professor Bolaji Aluko, its
Vice-Chancellor, seen on Wednesday night by
SaharaReporters.
On the earned allowances, he explained, "Government will top it up
with further releases once universities are through with the
disbursement of this new figure of N40 million, so Vice-Chancellors
are urged to expedite this disbursement within the shortest possible
time using guiding templates that have been sent by the CVC," the
circular said. Professor Aluko said the development followed meetings
on September 19 and Oct 11 of representatives of the Association of
Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, led by CVC Chairman, Prof.
Hamisu of ATBU and ASUU Representatives led by its President, Dr. N.
Fagge with the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Arc.
Namadi. Sambo, Minister of Education Barr. N. Wike and others.
Of great interest to stakeholders, Vice President Sambo, appealing to
ASUU to call off the strike, apologized for the "take-it-or-leave-it";
comments credited to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
at the onset of the strike. The Minister did not seem to have been
involved in either meeting, perhaps as the government's way of
soothing the feelings of the university teachers.
Other points of agreement at the meetings include the
following:
*Project Prioritization: Universities will now be allowed to determine
their priorities and not be "rail-roaded" into implementing a
pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment.
Decisions are not to be centralized.
*TETFund Intervention: Government assured that the operations of the
TETFund will not be impaired, and that the regular TETFund
intervention disbursement to Universities will continue, unaffected.
So the NEEDS
assessment capital outlays are in addition to regular TETFund intervention.
*Project Monitoring: A new Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC)
for the NEEDS Assessment intervention for universities has been set up
to take over from the Suswan Committee. The new one is under the
Federal Ministry of Education and chaired by the Honorable Minister of
Education. In addition, to build confidence and ensure faithful
implementation and prevent any relapse as before, the Vice President
will meet quarterly with the IMC to monitor progress.
*Blueprint: ASUU was mandated to submit a blue print for revitalizing
the Universities to the Vice President.
Prof. Aluko further stated that a signed document will soon be issued
to itemize the full issues on which the consensus he had outlined
here, as brokered by AVCNU,
was reached.
committed to spending N200 billion in the 2014 budget on the
universities as well as on each of the next three-four years until the
universities are brought to world-class standard. This is in addition
to the N100 billion dedicated and already made available for 2013.
The government has also increased to N40 billion as a first
installment, funds for the payment of earned allowances to the
striking lecturers, an improvement from the N30 billion previously
released. This information is contained in an internal Federal
University of Otuoke statement by Professor Bolaji Aluko, its
Vice-Chancellor, seen on Wednesday night by
SaharaReporters.
On the earned allowances, he explained, "Government will top it up
with further releases once universities are through with the
disbursement of this new figure of N40 million, so Vice-Chancellors
are urged to expedite this disbursement within the shortest possible
time using guiding templates that have been sent by the CVC," the
circular said. Professor Aluko said the development followed meetings
on September 19 and Oct 11 of representatives of the Association of
Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, led by CVC Chairman, Prof.
Hamisu of ATBU and ASUU Representatives led by its President, Dr. N.
Fagge with the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Arc.
Namadi. Sambo, Minister of Education Barr. N. Wike and others.
Of great interest to stakeholders, Vice President Sambo, appealing to
ASUU to call off the strike, apologized for the "take-it-or-leave-it";
comments credited to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
at the onset of the strike. The Minister did not seem to have been
involved in either meeting, perhaps as the government's way of
soothing the feelings of the university teachers.
Other points of agreement at the meetings include the
following:
*Project Prioritization: Universities will now be allowed to determine
their priorities and not be "rail-roaded" into implementing a
pre-determined set of projects with respect to the NEEDS assessment.
Decisions are not to be centralized.
*TETFund Intervention: Government assured that the operations of the
TETFund will not be impaired, and that the regular TETFund
intervention disbursement to Universities will continue, unaffected.
So the NEEDS
assessment capital outlays are in addition to regular TETFund intervention.
*Project Monitoring: A new Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC)
for the NEEDS Assessment intervention for universities has been set up
to take over from the Suswan Committee. The new one is under the
Federal Ministry of Education and chaired by the Honorable Minister of
Education. In addition, to build confidence and ensure faithful
implementation and prevent any relapse as before, the Vice President
will meet quarterly with the IMC to monitor progress.
*Blueprint: ASUU was mandated to submit a blue print for revitalizing
the Universities to the Vice President.
Prof. Aluko further stated that a signed document will soon be issued
to itemize the full issues on which the consensus he had outlined
here, as brokered by AVCNU,
was reached.
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