THE NATION THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2011
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EDUCATION IBBUL FILE VC seeks experts on NUC Team THE Vice-Chancellor, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL), Prof Ibrahim Adamu Kolo, has advocated the involvement of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) by National Universities Commission (NUC), in accrediting the accountancy programmes of universities. He spoke while receiving leaders of the association who visited him. Kolo said efforts would be made to co-operate with ANAN towards ensuring that the accountancy programme of the university is revived. Earlier, the National President, ANAN, Hajiya Mariam Lade Ibrahim reaffirmed her interest to partner with IBBUL towards developing its accountancy programme in the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences to make it the envy of others. She said ANAN was prepared to give the Institution the necessary support in terms of personnel and other areas that would be required to make the accountancy programme meet best practices. ANAN was on a three day Mandatory Professional Continuing Education Programme for her members in Niger State, which took place in Minna.
Twin lecture theatre soon A MULTI-MILLION naira twin lecture theatre with a 400 seating capacity and a specialised science laboratory complex, are being constructed at the permanent site of the university. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr Baba Alfa, said the projects being financed by the Education Trust Fund (ETF) when completed would enhance learning and research, in the school. He said the management was working towards completing other capital projects within the time frame of the five-year strategic development plan for the university. Alfa said efforts were being made to harmonise some courses and introduce new academic programmes. He added that no effort would be spared to expand the current infrastructure in the university.
Poly makes ICT mandatory THE Polytechnic, Ile-Ife, has made computer education mandatory for students to enrich the curriculum and make them ICT compliant on graduation. To this end, a statement said the Governing Council has decided to establish the Institute of Computer Studies (ICS) to enhance the students’ computer literacy. Director of the Institute, Mr Muyideen Lawal, an engineer, said the institute offers certificate programmes in computer literacy, Hardware Engineering, Advance Diploma in Computer Studies, SPSS and other professional courses.
‘History should be reinvigorated’ Provost, College of Humanities and Culture, Osun State University, Ikire, Prof Siyanbola Oyeweso, speaks with ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA on why history has been relegated after the launch of “Ijesa Icons and the Making of Modern Nigeria”, a book he edited to commemorate the 54th birthday of Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
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N the school curricula, history seems to have been relegated. Why is this so? Today, science is heavily funded, yet they say its funding is still inadequate. We are yet to have any government that will be dedicated to the study and recovery of Nigerian past. The best effort so far was by the Historical Society of Nigeria in 1980 when Prof of History Obaro Ekime edited a collection of articles which was eventually titled: ‘Groundwork of Nigeria History.’ After that, the presidency commissioned Prof Tekena Tamuno and others to have the History of Nigeria Since Independence’ project which are drawn into volumes. Today, how many are interested in the study of History? If you want to send your children to university and you ask him to study history they frown because they believe History is one subject to be studied when other options have failed. Certainly that is not the correct approach to history. If the United States model is to be practised in Nigeria every governor must have a historian, the presidency has its own historian. Historians must be part of history in any state; and that is why the field of public history is an attractive field in the US. But for you to catch up, you must invest in history, train people and fund research, and make teaching and research into history very attractive.
Today, there is no serious attention by the governments. Even in our 6-3-3-4 curriculum, history has not been accorded a priority. But any nation that forgets history is a doomed nation. We don’t want Nigeria to be doomed. So we want to encourage our government across the states in the southwest and the entire federation to take the study of History more seriously. Aside efforts by our foremost nationalists, It is only recently that Chief Oladosu Oladebo a prominent chief in Osun State attempted seven volumes of the History of the People of Osun State. Though not an academic exercise, it is a good effort at packaging documentary sources about Osun State. Even in universities today History now has combined honours to make it attractive to prospective students... I recall Prof Kunle Lawal (a Prof of History at LASU and former Commissioner for Education Lagos State), myself and few other people in the Department of History, Lagos State University (LASU) pioneered the nomenclatural change in the discipline of History for it to embrace International Studies and today, 90 per cent of universities have followed suit except the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo Universitty Ile-Ife and maybe University of Ilorin. We believe History is the father of all disciplines. But in an age where people run away from that
discipline, then you must make it necessarily attractive. The discipline of History embraces world studies, strategic studies, international relations, international studies, and international politics. With combined honours, History gets more prominence and is more acceptable to students. Was the Historical Society of Nigeria (HSN) not invited by the Nigeria Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) to make input when the curriculum was being drafted? Certainly we were not exempted. But one thing is to make recommendations another is to have the recommendations accepted. The HSN, over the years, have recommended that please let us restore History by removing it as an elective subject, or a subject replaced by Social Studies. How do you pick up History at the senior level when you don’t have the necessary background at the primary level? It’s been said several times, but unfortunately we’re in a materialistic age, that is interested in demonstrable result for money and what knowledge can give in terms of money and good things of life. Do you support the scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the wake of the election violence that claimed some corps members in the North? Let me say, there is no society that is homogenous, every society is an arena of social conflict but how we
•Prof Oyeweso manage our conflict and differences and how we move from that to greater strength is the business of History. The NYSC is a symbol and instrument of national unity and integration. For me NYSC should be retained. The scheme is the greatest achievements of the Gowon administration. After the civil war in 1970, Gowon came out with a policy of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation. For many of us today, we would have stayed in the backyard of our country. I served in Kebbi State and later Zamfara. My knowledge of the country is much better because of my NYSC experience then. We met all ethnic nationalities. We interacted beyond our local environments, knew our differences, and made new friends. I can say today that I have friend across the length and breadth of this country. If I am from Ede and I served in Ede, then something must be wrong with me.
74 pupils battle for Maths star prize
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EVENTY-FOUR junior and senior secondary pupils wrote the second stage examination for the Cowbell National Secondary Schools Mathematics Competition (NASSMAC) in four centres across the country last Saturday. The pupils with the top scores in each category (junior and senior secondary) from 36 states and Abuja in the first stage examination on March 19, gathered in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu and Port Harcourt for the second stage last Saturday. In the Southwest, participants from Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Ondo, Osun and Lagos wrote the examination at the Ondo Hall of the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja where they and their teachers were lodged by the organisers, Promasidor. While some described the examination as tough, others thought it was a walk over and were confident they would be among the 30 (15 from each category) to be invited for the awards ceremony at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on the 23rd of this month. One of those so confident is Mardhiyah Sanni, who scored 96 per cent in the first stage – the highest for the junior category. The 12-year old JSS2 pupil of Ota Total Academy, Ogun State, whose older siblings are past winners of the competition, said she worked hard when she found she had the top score from March 19. “I was surprised I won the first stage in my state because there was another girl there who was better and faster than me. When I found that I was the highest, I worked even harder to prepare. The examination
•Pupils queuing to register for the first stage examination at Queen Elizabeth School, Ilorin By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie
was easy,” she said. Abidemi Adejayan, an SS2 pupil of Reality High School, Osun State, is also confident she will make it. Unlike some others who said the questions were a bit unfamiliar, she said they were easy because her teacher exposed her to many past questions. “The first stage examination was tougher than this. This time around, I read many textbooks and my teacher also gave me examinations. I am confident that I will make Abuja,” she said. For Rotimi Aledare, an SS2 pupil of Federal Government College, Ilorin, time cheated him to complet-
ing the examination. He also complained about not being able to interpret the objective section of the paper. “With what I did in my theory, I hope to do well. The objective was difficult because of the interpretation,” he said. At the Abuja ceremony, overall best winner in the junior category will get N250,000 plus a trophy and medal, while the first and second runners up will get N200,000 and N150,000. Overall best at the senior level will get N300,000. The second placed winner will N250,000 and the third, N200,000. Speaking on the competition, Mr
Abiodun Ajiborode, Brand Manager, Promasidor, said the organization decided to zone the second stage examination, which previously used to hold in Lagos alone, because participants and teachers from far-flung states complained of the distance which made it difficult to be refreshed for the examination. “Zoning is as a result of feedback from participants. People complained that Lagos is too far. We also considered the risk involved in travelling long distances. Somebody coming from Kaduna, compared to somebody from Ibadan will not get enough time to rest the day before the examination,” he said.