Bulling, age limit, student loan, others shaped education sector in 2024

The education sector is premised on where citizens are mould for learning and character. A lot of issues defined the sector in the country within this year, our correspondent reports. Bullying After hundreds of abducted students were rescued by the federal government, in April, the internet was awashed with a video, showing a student of […]

The education sector is premised on where citizens are mould for learning and character. A lot of issues defined the sector in the country within this year, our correspondent reports.

Bullying

After hundreds of abducted students were rescued by the federal government, in April, the internet was awashed with a video, showing a student of Lead British International School, Abuja, Namtira Hassan, being bullied and assaulted by her classmate Mariam and others.

The video generated outburst as Nigerians raised concern over the safety of their children in schools.

In the video, which was widely circulated and aired by the media showed the other students slapping her and persistently, showing aggression towards the student even after an intervention.

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The situation caused a  serious confrontation and sanction as the school was shut for a while and later the students were forced to apologise to Namtira.

Also, another scenario of bullying happened where 13 students of Federal Government College (FGC), Enugu were suspended.

Abduction of students

Just as the ministry was working hard to remove its name from fake certificate saga, in March 2024, over 200 pupils of the Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School at Kuriga, Kaduna State were abducted by bandits in spite of the Safe School Initiative, which was supposed to provide solution to security and protection of schools and  students.

This abduction triggered outrage from across the country and beyond  and the government came under pressure to rescue the students.

Eventually, they were rescued a few weeks later, after alleged payment of ransom even though there was denial from some quarters.

Strike threats by ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has always been one of the news makers in the sector following its long time feud with the federal government over unresolved issues.

The year 2024 was not different as the union also gave the federal government an ultimatum to resolve all the pending issues and reverse appointment of governing councils of universities or face strike action.

After this, the union had issued more threats while still negotiating with the federal government.

Even though the new governing council was later appointed, ASUU and the federal government are yet to resolve their disagreement as they claimed that the latter is yet to resolve the pending issues despite all the promises.

Dissolution of universities’ governing councils

The president sometimes in 2023 dissolved the councils and transferred the power to supervise the institutions to the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC).

Stakeholders had argued that the dissolution was illegal as the law stipulates that the councils must end their tenure and can be dissolved only when there is an infringement.

The absence of the governing councils generated ripples in some institutions, especially over appointment of vice chancellors, as well as recruitment of principal officials and promotion of staff.

This situation led to strike actions with the University of Abuja embarking on an indefinite strike over the issue among others bordering on promotion and recruitment, as well as lack of elections for positions of dean and registrar.

ASUU said the positions were supposed to be done and approved by the council.

Although, the federal government eventually appointed the governing councils after a year, it still generated ripples because it was allegedly to be lopsided forcing the presidency to withdraw the list and made adjustments.

NELfund

The kick starting of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), a scheme to provide timely and essential financial assistance to needy students to enable them to pursue their educational goals without undue financial stress was one of the cheering news in the education sector in 2024.

The long anticipated Student Loans scheme, which was promised by the president during the campaign was signed into law on April 3, 2024 and the Fund opened its portal in May. One week later, over 60,000 students applied for the loan.

Since the disbursement started in July, over 100,000 students have benefitted from the scheme and many more are on line to come on board.

The scheme, however, continued to receive accolades from people as one of the best policies of the current administration.

16-year admission age

While the news of school collapse was yet to die down,, the then Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman set another news rolling during the 2024 Joint Admissions Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) policy meeting where he insisted on the entry age into tertiary institutions in the country to be 18 years.

The minister’s statement was resisted by stakeholders across tertiary institutions in the country, thereby turning the session into a rowdy one.

However, after some impassioned argument, the minister gave a waiver for those who had written the UMTE to be admitted from 16 years but that 18 for subsequent exams .

This entry age was also rejected by parents and some stakeholders who insisted that 16 years was a better year as children should not finish school and be denied admission on the basis of age.

The backlash from the public continued while the minister insisted there was no going back on the law.

However, the minister was later removed and a new minister, Dr Tunji Alausa came and reversed the decision despite the fact that  the Nigeria National Policy on Education stipulates 18 years.

Alleged sale of public universities

When reports emerged that the federal government was planning to sell off public universities to private investors, the news unsettled most Nigerians who expressed their disappointment.

But the federal government denied the reports that it was selling off public universities to private investors.

The minister said it was a misinformation on one aspect of the ministry’s policy in respect to tertiary education,  which was to open up the tertiary education level in particular, the universities for  global competitiveness that allow those who operate in this area at international level to come into the country and set up institutions open for collaboration  with the  local universities under trans-national education.

Debate on same sex

A  letter alleging the plan of federal government to host a National Schools Competition and a debate for secondary schools in the country tagged “Same Sex Marriage Should Be Legalised in Nigeria,” surfaced in 2024.

There was outburst across social media platforms.

The alleged debate generated reactions on social media as a group campaigned against it, saying people should boycott the competition as it was part of a subtle propaganda to normalise LGBTQ ideals.

However, the federal government denied approving the national competition, saying it was fraudulent and fake, as it didn’t emanate from the federal ministry of education (FME).

“It also contradicts both the values upheld by Nigerians and the stance of the Nigerian government and the FME,” it said in a statement.

University of Abuja crisis

The University of Abuja, also made the 2024 trending list over the appointment of a new acting vice-chancellor.

It started when the Acting VC, Aisha Maikudi alleged that the Council is interfering in her duties, a claim, which the council denied.

The most recent, happened Tuesday when a meeting planned to hold over the selection of the new VC was rescheduled from 9.00am to 11. 30 and later to Friday, which some members of the Senate rejected and decided  to go on with the meeting but got interference from vigilante group, whom they alleged brutalised them in a quest to stop the process.

The varsity management denied that any meeting held nor was there any violence.

Meanwhile the varsity has up to December 31  to submit the name of the new VC to the federal government.