Vice Chancellor condemns cohabitation among students

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The Vice Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, has condemned the prevailing cohabitation syndrome among students of tertiary institutions in the country.

Ajibefun, who was represented by the Dean, Faculty of Arts, Professor Benson Akinnawonu, kicked against this rising trend in his opening remarks at a one-day summit on “Cohabitation Among Students,” organised by the Student Affairs Division of the institution, in conjunction with Airtel Telecommunication.

He said, “Cohabitation among students is a reprobate act that requires all hands to be on deck to arrest the ugly trend. Living together and having sexual relationship without being married is a trend that has virtually eroded the level of morality among the youth, particularly students of higher institutions.

“Findings by researchers have proved that cohabitation among unmarried students has been on the rise, and if deliberate and pragmatic steps are not taken by all stakeholders, including managements of tertiary institutions, parents and religious leaders, this anomaly will continue to rise unabated and the society will ultimately suffer for it.”

Ajibefun commended the division headed by Dr. Bolanle Ogungbamila, for the initiative and thanked Airtel, for the partnership to campaign against the immoral trend.

In his welcome address, Dr. Ogungbamila identified low level of monitoring, mentoring and inadequate hostel accommodation as factors that have engendered cohabitation among students.

He said, “The low level of monitoring and mentoring coupled with inadequate hostel accommodation have engendered cohabitation among our students. Apart from constituting a source of distraction, cohabitation has physiologic, psychological, economic, academic and spiritual implications for students who engage in the act.”

The resource persons at the summit were the Director of Women Studies and Development Centre, AAUA, Dr. (Mrs.) Nireti Duyilemi, who spoke on “Campus Cohabitation: A Negative Attitudinal Disposition that Debases the Dignity of Womanhood,” and Dr. (Mrs.) A.A Akintola, who examined the topic, “Adolescent’s Risky Sexual Behaviour and Its Consequences on Reproductive Health.”

Meanwhile, the vice chancellor has advised the 3, 989 new students to eschew social vices that could thwart their studentship.

Ajibefun, who gave the advise at the 2014/2015 matriculation ceremony said, “As a university, we cherish our modest achievements and guard them jealously. Indeed, we yearn for more. And we are confident that having admitted you through a merit-driven policy, we have opened the door for achieving more laurels and attaining our aspiration to be the best university in Nigeria and among the best 10 in Africa.”

CURB FROM VANGUARD

FG committed to end strike in education sector – Dr. Illoh

on September 09, 2015  

By Kelechukwu Iruoma & Precious Melah

THE Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and production, Dr. Clement lloh has assured stakeholders in the education sector that the Federal Government (FG) is committed to end strikes in the education sector. Speaking during the 4th National Delegates’ Conference of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria polytechnics (SSAN) held at Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos, he noted that “the Nigerian education Sector is one sector that has been bedeviled with unnecessary strike and labour unrest in recent time.

Adding “This may be attributed to breakdown of internal organizational machinery for negotiating and implanting collective and procedural agreement within the sector as well as the nagging issue of funding of education”. Assuring that “Under the present dispensation of government, a drastic change in that state of affairs is expected to soon begin to hold sway.

He revealed the commitment of the government to enthrone decent work in all workplaces in Nigeria, with a view towards the attainment of the four strategic objectives of the international labour organization; Decent Work Agenda, which he named as: job creation, social protection and social dialogue with gender equality as cross-cutting objective.

Adding that ‘Government shall likewise continue to provide the enabling environment for sustainable national growth and social- economic development, notwithstanding the nation’s dwindling fortunes attributable to the current unprecedented drop in global crude oil prices, he continued. Dr. Illoh also stated that the government through the Ministry of Labour and productivity would remain irrevocably committed to the exercise of its mandate of formulating and implementing strategies that ensure  nurture industrial peace and harmony. in the country.

He listed these strategies as “the enforcement of provision of the extant legal formulation of policy on Trade union organization, settlement of trade despite through mediation count for adjudication.

He further encouraged government employees, especially polytechnic’s employees   to always toe the line of social dialogue and collective bargaining, rather than confrontation or militancy in resolving, industrial relation differences as a way of curtailing man-days’ losses arising from strikes and other industrial actions with their attendant negative impact on productivity.

Vocation and technical education – a key to improving nigeria’s development (4)

on September 07, 2015  

The focus is on the roles of technology and vocational education in enhancing entrepreneurial skills that will equip students for entrepreneurship education in Information and Communication Technology (ICT.) driven technological environment. The world has become globalized and the future prosperity depends on comparative advantage.

This comparative advantage hinges on people and their technical or technological sophistication. Towards this, some crucial entrepreneurial and technical skills needed by the students in colleges of education (technical), polytechnics and universities to meet the trends in a global economy is analyzed.

Technology education is to be considered as the key agent of technology development, either as a way of developing human capacity, increasing the shield work force for modernization, industrialization, environmental development or as a matter of personnel freedom, developing capability and empowerment.  Technology education is increasingly recognized to be central to both the origins of technological development and challenges and to the prospects for successfully dealing with them (Alam, 2009).

Decision makers at all levels, need timely, reliable access to knowledge generated by technology and technical education to introduce rational policies that reflect a better global understanding of complex technical, economic, social, cultural and article issues concerning the society, and our environment. Technical decision making and priority setting is an integral part of overall development planning and formation of technology development strategies.

Above all, technology education is a human right and, as such, should receive priority in the allocation of national resources. It has become very necessary not to only keep technology education bound to the role of manufacturing skilled manpower but also to economic development and global economy. In Nigeria, technology education was previously not seen as fundamental for national development, or for the economic development, but for the school dropouts, and other social and political development within the nation and for individuals.

Hallak (1990) argues that technology education is also linked to human resources development and that this has an impact on more than just economic growth, but also an impact on the wider development of individuals and societies. According to him, it contributes to:

(a). Individual creativity, improved participation in the economic, social and cultural roles in society.

(b). Improved understanding of an individual and heir respect for others, thus promoting social cohesion and material understanding

(c) Improvement in health and nutrition.

(d). Improved chances of economic development.

(e). Improved technological development.

(f). Socio-cultural change.

(g). Democracy and equality

(h). Ecological development/quality of life (increasing people’s awareness of their environments). From our analysis so far, it is clear that modernization and economic development, depends on investment and appreciation of modern trends in technology education. According to Woodhall (1997) investment in technological education and training produces benefits for the individual and for society as whole.

The roles of technical and vocational education in enhancing entrepreneurial skills using information and communication technology is very important in training for self-employment, self-reliance and skills acquisition now that government cannot employ every graduate. This could be achieved through the development of entrepreneurial skills in technology and vocational education through information and communication technology.

Technology and vocational education programme of our tertiary institutions should be directed to focus on enhancing the training for entrepreneurship in ICT so as to be functional in today’s world of work and the global economy. In this period of mass unemployment and global economic fortunes, only the best can survive by being self-employed.

The tertiary institutions where technology and vocational education programme is offered should encourage and enhance entrepreneurial skills of students through constant review of the curriculum to reflect the technological changes and emerging technology in today’s ICT driven technical environment. Technical educators should involve technological, technical, and business organization, government, NGOs and even successful industrialists in their service delivery to the students.