Nigerian young lady, 17, secures admission to 13 colleges

A 17-year-old young lady, Serena Omo-Lamai, has been allowed admission to study in 13 colleges in America and Canada.

Omo-Lamai, who moved on from Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, a year ago, be that as it may, decided on Syracuse University, United States, to concentrate on Bio-Medical Engineering.

A portion of the colleges where she was offered affirmation incorporate Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, New York University, among others.

Talking in a phone meeting with our reporter on Monday, Omo-Lamai said she settled for Syracuse University due to the establishment's reality class research lab and a $51,000 grant offer.

The adolescent, who tries to be a therapeutic designer, uncovered that she would concentrate on medication as a second degree.

"I feel exceptionally respected and I feel it is a chance to work harder. I realize that I need to legitimize the offer. I picked Syracuse University since it has a decent research lab and the offer accompanied $51,000 grant. I have constantly cherished Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Geography.

"I would like to study medication for a brief moment degree, yet I would love to be a restorative architect. The majority of the restorative gear in the nation are foreign made and I might want a circumstance where medicinal hardware is produced here in Nigeria.

"My folks are my good examples, yet I am likewise enlivened by any individual who is dedicated, any individual who puts such a great amount of endeavors into what they do," she said.

An announcement from the Vice-Principal, Dowen College, Mr. Muraina Olusesi, on Monday, said Omo-Lamai was the valedictorian of the school a year ago.

He said, "Graduated class understudies of the school have kept on demonstrating the stuff they are made of in the realm of scholarly magnificence. Serena Omo-Lamai was our best graduating understudy in the 2014/2015 scholarly session and she has done it once more.

"She secured admission to 13 colleges over the globe, however she has settled for Syracuse University where she joined to peruse Bio-Medical Engineering, with a yearly grant of $56,000.

"Likewise, Daniel Obaseyi Buraimo, Class of 2010, graduated with First Class respects degree in Computer Science from the University of San Francisco, California, USA. As indicated by the college, he is the main Nigerian to accomplish this stature."

Okowa Commissions E-Government Academy (Delta State)

The Delta State government has upheld an outlook change from reliance on income from oil to income from learning based advancement.

Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, dropped the clue at general society presentation of the Delta State Innovation Hub (DS-HUB) and appointing of Innovation Hall of Fame and the E-Government Academy in Asaba the State capital.

An elated Governor Okowa complimented ICT specialists for their enthusiasm for banding together with his organization to build up a development center point and make openings for work.

"Delta State Innovation Hub – from Oil to Knowledge-based Development is essential in our state since, advancement is basic for long haul monetary development and maintainable improvement in both created and the creating scene.

"In moving far from oil to an information based advancement, there is a far reaching financial improvement outline and system to assemble mechanically based aptitude limits, bolster and engage business visionaries, produce new vocation model for our childhood, make riches and decrease destitution," the Governor said.

Visitors who talked at the event praised the state government's drive in differentiating its economy through ICT, promising to bolster the activity and give the stage to the development of ICT in the state.

He particularly, called for sponsorship to empower the state set up a Delta State Innovation Development Fund – IDF; urge all adolescents to get PC aptitudes and energize e-administration and computerized proficiency abilities in the common administration and different establishments.

The Director-General of DS-HUB, Mr Chris Uwaje, performed Induction of Pioneer individuals into the Technology Innovation Hall of Fame, which included Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

The Innovation center point adjusts to Governor Okowa's SMART motivation and the DG repeats, "DS-HUB is a one of a kind learning manufacturing plant with an empowering domain exceptionally intended for starting advancement, building inno-enthusiasm, creating innovativeness and advancing data sharing for building practical new information for the conveyance of comprehensive innovation arrangements and bolster administrations."

Correspondences Minister, Barr. Adebayo Shittu, was joined by driving names in Information Communication Technology (ICT) world to Asaba for the project.

They included Leo Stan Ekeh of Zenox Computers, Ms Funke Opeke of Mainone, Prof. Pat Utomi, and Prof. Sola Aderounmu.

Post-UTME: UNILAG Releases Admission Guidelines

The University of Lagos on Tuesday discharged its Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination confirmation screening rules for the 2016/2017 scholarly session.

An announcement issued by the establishment's Deputy Registrar (Information), Mr Toyin Adebule, the said online enlistment for the screening would hold from Aug. 3 to Aug. 24.

It said just competitors who settled on the college their first decision at the 2016 all Computer Based Test mode UTME and scored 200 or more were qualified for the screening.

The college said competitors must have five credit goes at one sitting in pertinent Ordinary Level subjects, including English dialect and arithmetic.

The establishment said hopefuls who might not be 16 years old by Oct. 31 were not qualified for screening and need not have any significant bearing.

"Applicants who are anticipating results are qualified to apply for the screening.

"Such hopefuls will be permitted to transfer their outcomes when they are discharged just in the event that they connected inside the predetermined period.

"Hopefuls are encouraged to check the college site for the predetermined periods and different subtle elements,'' the announcement read to a limited extent.

JAMB: Okebukola censures FG over post UTME cancelation

The previous Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof. Subside Okebukola, has reprimanded the as of late reported technique for conceding understudies into tertiary establishments, saying it added up to conceding hopefuls indiscriminately.

Okebukola, who talked on the sidelines of the 2016 Speech Day and Prize Giving function of Queen's College, Yaba, Lagos, on Monday, said that the present rules set up for confirmation of competitors into Nigeria's tertiary organizations would just permit unfit possibility to be conceded.

Okebukola, who was responding to the late cancelation of the Post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by the Federal Government, said the criteria were still vague to partners.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had on July 10, cleared up that the 2016 confirmations would be led simply on the three existing affirmation mainstays of legitimacy, catchment territory and instructively less created states.

It added that applicants were to exhibit their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE)/Advanced Level (AL) results for confirmation and clearing purposes.

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu, had declared the cancelation at a late meeting on the choice of possibility for induction into tertiary organizations.

Adamu had likewise cautioned that any establishment that went in spite of the mandate would be authorized.

He included that establishments were, in any case, at freedom to direct their screening by cross-checking the SSCE consequences of the applicants that must incorporate five credits, including Mathematics and English Language at a sitting.

Okebukola said: "Really, I should say that we don't know where we are making a beeline for yet.

"The reason is that both the JAMB and the colleges under the umbrella of Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigeria Universities (AVCNU) are not by any means beyond any doubt of the criteria.

"We have yet to have any unmistakable perspective of where we are going yet, yet I think that in another week or two, we are liable to know where we are going.

"Starting now, the earth is still extremely shady on the post UTME thing,'' he said.

Describing how the post UTME came to fruition, Okebukola said: "Amid my residency as Executive Secretary, it began through screening.

"It was gone for getting quality applicants into our tertiary foundations, particularly the colleges.

"Everything happened that in 2002, a portion of the bad habit chancellors after the UME came to me on a Sunday after the examination the earlier day.

"They reported that there was a major issue in a specific college which I won't prefer to specify however they griped that half of the understudies of the college sat for the UME.

"Also, when I inquired as to why, they said a few persons who are hopefuls of UME utilized these understudies to compose the examination for them as soldiers of fortune.

"It then occurred to us that some of these individuals that ordinarily wave high scores are not by any means the genuine proprietors of such scores''.

He said that it got to be clear that there was a need embed into the subject of affirmation another layer of separating.

He included that the advancement was what educated the screening set up at that period.

Okebukola said that if the foundations were to deliver quality graduates and gain the admiration of different climes in the nation's training framework, it was the approach.

He included that after due meeting with the Directors of NUC on the issue, it was further found that the improvement on the confirmation procedure was transcendent everywhere.

Okebukola said that a meeting with amongst NUC and JAMB under the watch of the then JAMB Registrar, Prof. Salim Bello, was likewise gathered to talk about the advancement to discover the route forward.

"I was to be sure tormented and determined that we should discover a method for getting quality graduates into our colleges.

"We encouraged JAMB to direct their multi-decision content, which is just trying applicants' subjective potential and which does not test how they communicate in English and how they compose.

"Furthermore, on the grounds that we additionally discovered that a hefty portion of these applicants that take this examination are extremely poor in both composed and oral English, we felt there ought to be another layer of screening.

"In any case, I should underscore that we didn't mark this screening as post UTME test or whatever.

"We called it Post UME Screening despite the fact that we had starting difficulties with the National Assembly,'' he said.

Okebukola included that the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo likewise restated that JAMB's law permitted it to do its test and did not permit the colleges to do any test.

He said that taking after the reaction, the NUC and the then Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji, chose to go to the National Assembly to clear up issues.

The wear said that it was concurred that there ought not be any type of various decision examinations again on the CBT stage.

He included that in its place would be oral inquiries and some paper writing so as to survey the applicants' written work aptitudes.

Okebukola said this understanding was come to with the National Assembly and the message passed on to the colleges and JAMB.

As indicated by him, it was concurred that after the numerous decision UME, the colleges ought to do the paper and oral screening and in addition physical appearance.

The screening, he said, was additionally to guarantee that such applicants' appearances did not depict them as touts or cultists in disdain from their scholarly capability.

Much obliged to you for scrapping post-UTME

                                                     The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu
 The choice to scrap the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (post-UTME) is an extraordinary help to Nigerian college confirmation seekers and we wholeheartedly laud it. Pastor of Education Malam Adamu reported the choice at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board's (JAMB) partners meeting which as of late held in Abuja to decide the cut-off imprint for imminent tertiary foundation understudies looking for affirmation in the 2016/2017 scholarly session.

The Minister said it was counter-gainful for possibility to compose post-UTME in the wake of having sat for and passed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) sorted out by JAMB. The pastor had solicited agents from colleges and other tertiary foundations present at the partners meeting regardless of whether they were fulfilled by the behavior and aftereffects of UTME. They all said UTME as directed by JAMB was agreeable. The clergyman then said, "Following the colleges are fulfilled by what JAMB is doing, there is no premise for post-UTME." He included that it was not proper for colleges to pressure contender to sit for post-UTME as an essential condition for affirmation.
 Translating the pastor's affirmations later, the National Universities Commission (NUC) said colleges were still at freedom to "screen" understudies sent to them for confirmation by JAMB. NUC's Public Relations Officer Ibrahim Yakassai said "screening" in this connection incorporates check of competitors' UTME slip, SSCE results and other sundry affirmation reports. We expect that a few establishments could adventure NUC's translation of the choice by raising screening into a paper and pencil test. We consequently encourage the Ministry of Education to issue an obvious proclamation to colleges on the scrapping of post-UTME. The same explanation ought to expound on what is implied by "screening" that colleges may wish to lead.

Other than the scrapping of post-UTME, the priest additionally taught JAMB to quit charging N1,000 per contender for the scratch cards utilized as a part of getting to UTME results on the web. At the end of the meeting, a cut-off characteristic of 180 was affirmed for the 2016/2017 induction into all organizations. These measures are exceptionally wonderful news to UTME applicants who, before the initiation of the partners meeting, had accumulated at the passageway of NUC home office, venue of the meeting, conveying notices in dissent against post-UTME.

Scrapping of post-UTME was once anticipated by JAMB's Registrar/Chief Executive Officer Prof. Dibu Ojerinde when, in 2015, he guaranteed that the Computer Based Test (CBT) method of UTME was pointed, among others, at destroying deceiving and different types of unfortunate behavior connected with open examinations. He anticipated that CBT would bit by bit reestablish college powers' trust in UTME. This has now happened.

It would be reviewed that the presentation of post-UTME in 2004 was incited when numerous hopefuls who made great results in UTME couldn't guard such. The respectability of UTME as led by JAMB went under extreme reactions from different partners, especially the colleges. Notwithstanding, post-UTME additional time likewise came to experience the ill effects of the same difficulties that required its presentation. Post-UTME additionally turned out to be exceedingly exploitative the same number of colleges transformed the activity into a cash spinner. Because of a need for Internally Generated Revenue numerous colleges welcomed substantial quantities of applicants, more than their individual affirmation limits, to sit for post-UTME. A college with an ability to concede 3,000 hopefuls, for case, welcomed between up to 40,000 possibility to compose post-UTME.

Also, post-UTME turned into a duplication of exertion as an applicant composed two separate selection tests (UTME and post-UTME) for one confirmation exercise. Surprisingly more dreadful was the mental weight that hopefuls were subjected to when welcomed to compose post-UTME. Some applicants needed to fly out long separations to sit for the examination in the wake of having gotten the required cut-off point in UTME, presenting them to all the dangers connected with going on Nigerian streets.

Since post-UTME is gone, we guidance JAMB to utilize innovation to enhance its behavior of UTME so that the difficulties, particularly those accomplished amid the 2016 UTME would be turned away in ensuing examinations. There is still a great deal of opportunity to get better in CBT method of UTME.

POST-UME: Nigeria hails Buhari's government

Rights group, Stand Up has said President Muhammadu Buhari government’s decision to scrap the Post UMTE (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations) will end the generation of revenue that does not get to the government coffers.

In a statement by its secretary general, Sunday Attah, the group described the Post UMTE as an exploitative practice to “extort admission seekers under the guise of screening them for competence.” The statement noted that the examination was also a loophole for corruption that allows tertiary institution staff to admit preferred candidates by technically voiding the UMTE scores. Part of the statement read: “We therefore see the scrapping of this controversial examination as a boost to the anti-corruption fight in the education sector as it will end the generation of revenue that does not get to the government coffers.” READ ALSO: I reduced domestic corruption in government – Okonjo-Iweala Attah also commended the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde and his team for bringing about the change that restored the credibility of the examination body. According to him, “We all know the state JAMB was in before Professor Ojerinde stepped in to revamp and reposition the place. Today, the confidence of the government is such that it was able to argue that there should be no need for Universities to conduct internal examinations to determine the fate of candidates seeking admissions because of the absolute confidence in JAMB. The Minister of Education also confirmed that JAMB has built a level of confidence in terms of conducting the UTME. “We know that those who favour the Post UMTE test will soon mount a campaign for its sustenance or reintroduction. The influential parents who must manipulate the admission process for their children, owners of miracle examination centres, admission racketeering cabals in tertiary institutions are a few of those that we know we put pressure on the authorities to reverse this laudable directive. But we want to put them on notice that Nigerians will not accept a return to writing Post UMTE test now that JAMB is perfecting the Computer Based Test (CBT) that renders it unnecessary to the extent that the government did the needful by scrapping it.” He urged Professor Ojerinde to surpass the bar he has set by further consolidating on the changes he has brought to JAMB, saying he should disregard detractors who think their source of dubious wealth is being threatened by a JAMB that is bringing global best practice to Nigeria’s education sector. He appealed to the minister of education to put machinery in motion to expand the tertiary education system to be able to handle more intakes, saying this will reduce the pressure on the limited available admission spaces. According to Attah, this was what was exploited to introduce the Post UMTE. He said If the competition to get admission space continues to be fierce, opportunists will again devise a means to exploit candidates. He said further that the ministry of education must also take steps to monitor for compliance with its directive whether in public institutions or in the privately owned schools to ensure that the Post UMTE is not reintroduced under new names or procedures.
The federal government on Thursday, June 1, scrapped the Post UTME for candidates seeking admission into higher institution. This means all tertiary institutions are now at liberty to conduct screening for candidates seeking admission into any school. Mallam Adamu Adamu, the minister of education, explained that there was no need for any other examination to be conducted by universities after Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

JAMB has also pegged the cut off mark for admission for 2016 at 180.