EWAN Holds Second Education Summit
Basic education plays a pivotal role in the advancement of any nation. But, over the years, the standard of Nigeria’s basic education has declined drastically, thus affecting the quality of students proceeding to the post-basic and tertiary levels.
In an effort to reverse this trend, the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN), an affiliate of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and a professional body comprising journalists in print, broadcast and online media covering education will be holding its second national education summit.
The programme, scheduled to hold on November 9 at the WAEC International Centre, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos will feature the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hammid Bobboyi as the keynote speaker, while Nigeria’s former representative to UNESCO, Emeritus Professor Michael Omolewa will chair the occasion.
The Chairman and Secretary of the Local Organising Committee of the programme, Mr. Kayode Olanrewaju and Mrs. Kikelomo Oduyebo said in a statement that the summit with the theme ‘Wither Basic Education in Nigeria?’ would also feature presentations from the NUT President, Michael Alogba, Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Professor Charles Uwakwe, former Commissioner for Education in Edo State. Professor Ngozi Osarenren, among other stakeholders.
They said the belief of EWAN as agenda setters is that recommendations from this year’s summit would help accelerate the development of basic education in the country so that government, regulators, operators, parents, students, civil society groups can continue to collaborate for improved standards in this critical sector of the education which is often neglected.
They noted that the first edition of the summit held last year, with a former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Professor Peter Okebukola as a keynote speaker focussed on ‘The Integrity of Public Examinations and Admission in Nigeria’.
They pointed out that the outcome of the summit resulted in the reinstatement of the post-UTME screening.
