2020 witnessed an unprecedented closure of most sectors of the economy; education being the worst hit with the prolonged strike by academic staff union of public universities and delayed reopening of schools after the lockdown. In this report, Uchechukwu Nnaike and Funmi Ogundare recount activities that shaped the outgoing year
2020 can best be described as a year of uncertainty and struggle in the education sector. While the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was not envisaged, the indefinite strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was inevitable, following series of disagreements between the federal government and the union over unpaid salaries and allowances and the refusal of ASUU members to enrol in the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS), among other issues.
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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, on Thursday, gave N75million award to each of the five best performing tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The University of Ilorin won the Most Subscribed Institution by Candidates award, while Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, won the Most National Institution in Admission of Candidates.
Federal University, Wukari, Taraba, won the Most Improved Institution in Gender Balance, while the University of Ilorin again won the Institution with the Highest Number of Admitted International Students.
Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbese, won the Most Compliant Institution in keeping to guidelines of admissions.
Adamu said the award is one of government’s reward system and intervention to institutions.
“In 2019, JAMB at the first edition of the programme, supported the tertiary institutions with the sum of N125 million and this year, the board is supporting the sector with the sum of N375 million.
“This is no doubt an excellent gesture, worthy of emulation,” he said.
The five Universities who emerged winners in the board’s five categories for the awards would take home N75 million each.
The Minister, while congratulating the winners, also challenged the runner’s up and other institutions to rise to the occasion at the next edition to give the present winners a healthy fight.