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Education Today
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Best Cambridge GCE candidate to become pastor He is cool, calm and unassuming; all three qualities that hide Adenuga Victor’s academic prowess. The Senior Class III student of Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja, Lagos, recently shot his school into limelight by recording excellent performance in the University of Cambridge International Examinations. However, the brilliant chap, who was nicknamed ‘antelope’ for his sprinting skills, only hopes to become a pastor, after he might have studied Medicine. MOJEED ALABI reports:
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illiam Franklin “Billy” Graham, Jr. is an American Christian evangelist, who is notable for having been a spiritual adviser to several United States Presidents and was particularly close to Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. Today, at age 94, Billy Graham, as his followers are wont to call him, has successfully
Cambridge best student, Master Victor Adenuga (middle) with parents, Pastor and Pastor (Mrs.) Adenuga.
converted more than 3.2 million people to Christianity worldwide with an estimated lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, of 2.2 billion. This towering record of achievements is all that Victor Adenuga, 16-year-old son of the General Overseer of Faith Revival Apostolic Church, Idimu, Lagos, Pastor Taiwo Adenuga, only hopes to beat. The Senior Prefect of Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja, Lagos, described by the school’s Principal, Mr. Oluyemi Faleke, as a very rare genius, recently beat imagination with his performance in University of Cambridge International Examinations (GCE O level). In the last 23 years of the school’s history according to the principal, no student has ever recorded the kind of feats
Katsina earmarks N400m for overseas scholarship JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA
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he Katsina State Government has given overseas scholarship awards to the tune of N400 million to 42 students, who are indigenes of the state. The awardees would be studying different courses ranging from undergraduate to doctoral degrees in Jordan universities. Speaking at a farewell party organised on their behalf in Katsina recently, the state’s Deputy Governor, Abdullahi Faskari said all the beneficiaries would study science-based subjects that would include doctorate in Pharmacy (four students), BSc Pharmacy (9), BSc Nursing (20) and Physiotherapy (nine students). He said each of the students would be given a sum of $US300 maintenance allowance monthly, another $200 for settlement and $300 as resident permit. He said the state had sent hundreds of students abroad to study various courses and that the present effort was the fifth since it began in 2008.
Faskari said the aim of the programme was to enable the students come back to the state to help with furthering its growth and development. He urged the students to be good ambassadors while in Jordan and to eschew anything that may affect successful completion of their studies. The state’s Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kado Kurfi, said students were initially being sent to Sudan but the political crisis there led to opting for another country.
Victor has recorded either in academic performance, sport or even leadership ability. “Cambridge GCE is written in almost 150 countries around the world and in Nigeria, it is an examination that attracted only the brilliant students. Conducted by the British Council , this year the school presented 10 candidates with Victor scoring between 80 and above 90 in the six subjects. “The other nine candidates we presented also performed very well but Victor’s own is amazing. We are even waiting for Cambridge to get the breakdown of this year’s results but I can easily guess that hardly could anyone in Nigeria record this kind of intimidating success,” Faleke proudly disclosed. When Faleke was asked to describe Victor, he simply responded; “The boy is indescribable. His calmness usually hides his qualities because whether in classroom or outside, Victor always has something extra to score.
When I saw him during one of our inter-house sports games and he was running like an antelope I was amazed. He has won us many trophies and he is the school’s senior prefect. I wonder where his inspiration comes from.” Victor, a lover of soccer and fan of Manchester United of England, was once prodded to consider sprinting or any other game of his choice as a career, as his father was ready to support him, but simply said; “Never!” Instead, he responded that his mission in the world is to support his father’s ministry and take the work of God to the world stage. With the grades of A*(a*) in English Language, Physics, Chemistry and Biology and A in Mathematics and Additional Mathematics, why would Victor only dream to become a pastor leaving other suggestions like Medicine or Engineering? Victor’s response was very apt; “I am made for God and if I do any other thing it will be for a very short time. I may study Medicine but my ultimate goal is to become a globally recognised true man of God by sustaining my father’s legacy. My role model is Billy Graham of America who is so much respected globally as a man of God. I follow him diligently by listening to his preaching and I read a lot about him on the internet.” However, Victor’s mother, Pastor Mrs. Elizabeth Adenuga was not surprised about Victor’s decision. She said right from his childhood he had been a servant of God.
L-R: Trustee, King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), Captain Femi Adegoke; Prof. Osato Giwa-Osagie; Past Vice-President of the association, Mr. Busuyi Onabolu and Apostle Olasunkanmi Akande during the reunion /presentation of award to Olasunkanmi Akande on behalf of the association in Lagos.
Comprehensive High School, Aiyetoro, marks 50th anniversary
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he National Executives, Alumni, students and staff of Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, Ogun State, the first truly comprehensive high school of its kind in Africa, will from Wednesday February 13, 2013, roll out the drums in celebration of the school’s 50th Founders’ Day anniversary. The golden jubilee celebration, which will take place at
Ayetoro, will feature various educational, cultural and sporting events. The grand finale will be a gala night in Abeokuta, the state capital, where distinguished alumni will be honoured with deserving awards of excellence for their outstanding and immense contributions to the development of the school and for championing the aspirations of the alumni association.
According to the National President of the association, Otunba ‘Deji Osibogun, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the governor of the state, and other distinguished members of his cabinet, are expected to grace the occasion, which the alumni will also use to intensify and reiterate their efforts at returning Compro to its past glory through their “Take back the school” campaign.
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‘Poor policy implementation, bane of education development’ OLADELE LUQMON
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oor implementation and monitoring of policies and programmes have been identified as the major problems inhibiting the development of education sector in the country. Oba Abdulrazak Afolabi, the Olojoku of Ojoku, Kwara State, made this observation in Lagos at the inauguration ceremony of Board of Trustees of Al Fathiu Qareeb Muslim Society recently. The monarch blamed government, parents, students and the society for the backwardness, saying to reverse the trend would also require all hands to be on deck. While he urged governments at various levels to take the sector more seriously by embarking on policies and programmes that can boost the sector, Oba Afolabi advised the parents to expose their wards to things that cannot aid their studies and add values to their lives. He added that for meaningful development to take place in the country, it would require that sound education be provided to the citizenry.
Provost promises academic excellence TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE
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he Provost of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Otto/Ijanikin, Lagos State, Mr. Bashorun Wasiu has reiterated the determination of the college to offer quality education that would lead to allrounded teachers’ graduates. He also said the leadership of the institution would ensure transparency and accountability in the utilisation of funds meant for the development of the college. The provost made this comment recently when he received a letter of fund allocation from the Tertiary Trust Fund (TETFund) from Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who represents the Lagos Central Senatorial District at the upper chamber. The fund from the agency is expected to be used by the college to construct a lecture theatre. Expressing appreciation to Mrs. Tinubu for facilitating the release of the letter of allocation from TETFUND, Bashorun equally praised the Governor of the State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola as a moderator of the college for his administration’s continued support to the college, adding that the college would not compromise standard in its services.