The ministry added that digital classrooms, digital teachers, and digital pupils were necessary for Nigeria to become a technologically literate nation.

This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Didi Walson-Jack, during a presentation on how to operate the digital board in a smart learning space donated by the Unity Schools Old Students Association, on Friday, in Abuja.

Walson-Jack, in a statement on Saturday, expressed delight over the initiative noting that the initiative would serve as the beginning of a revolution.

He stated, “So we’re very excited and we look forward to working with WOWBii to see how we can escalate this to our schools and our colleges of education for the teachers to learn this way of interaction digitally with its students.

“It therefore means that for Nigeria to be digital, we need to have digital classrooms, digital teachers, and of course digital students. And this WOWBii board will mark the beginning of interaction between students, and the teachers in a way that has never been before in Nigerian public schools.”

Speaking earlier, the President of General Unity Schools Old Students Association, Michael Magaji, who introduced the initiative to the ministry, noted that the education sector is moving on rapidly, especially with great thinkers like the association group having passed through the remarkable centre of learning.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Andrew Adejoh, made this known in Abuja on Saturday while monitoring the 2023 common entrance examinations into Unity Schools. The examination was organised by the National Examination Council.

A total of 72,821 candidates sat for the examination on Saturday nationwide.

Adejo said: “This year, I have advice for parents, and I beg you, take this advice to any single home you know. We are killing our children by allowing underage children to write the Common Entrance Examination.

“I saw children that I know that are not up to 10, and three of them accepted that they are nine years old. We are doing many things; one, we are teaching the children the wrong values. Education is not about passing exams. Education is teaching, learning and character formation

“I beg the parents, let these children do the exams when they should. We don’t get value by pushing your child too far. Most of the time, if a child starts too early, he or she will have problems later in life.

“Education is designed in such a way that at any particular stage in life, there are messages your brain can take and understand, and be able to use. We are moving from education that is reliant on reading textbooks and passing exams.

“We are getting to a stage where education is what you can use your knowledge to do for society. You put a small child to go through all the rigours, by the time he finishes secondary, getting to University becomes a problem. I had that experience with a friend. Till date that friend did not get into a University, simply because he was put into school earlier than age that he was supposed to be put into school.

“Let our children get to an appropriate age before writing this exam and we are going to make sure NECO puts in place appropriate checks. We didn’t want to get to the point where we would say “bring a birth certificate,” but that is the stage we are going to now. In registering, also upload the child’s birth certificate, so that at our own end, we are able to cut some of these things.”

The Permanent Secretary also noted that the efforts of the Federal Government and other stakeholders in encouraging girls’ education are yielding fruit, saying the number of girls that registered for the Common Entrance Examination this year is 38,000, far above the previous years.

The Registrar of NECO, Professor Dantani Wushishi, said the conduct of the examination was generally smooth and orderly, saying from the reports received from across the country, the examination went on hitch-free.

While confirming that 72,821 candidates registered for the 2023 National Common Entrance Examination, Wushishi disclosed that Lagos State had the highest enrollment, followed by FCT, while the state with the lowest registration, Kebbi, has about 115 registered candidates.

He noted that the Council would put in place mechanisms to check some of the noticeable gaps caused by an upsurge in registration a day before the examination.

The spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong explained that the Federal Government could not dictate to states on education as it is on the concurrent legislative list.

A committee led by the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lokoja, Prof. Nimi Briggs, had reportedly recommended a 180 per cent pay rise for lecturers, but the government was said to have favoured a 100 per cent increase.

It was gathered that the ministries of finance, education, labour and employment, Budget Office of the Federation, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission were still working out the final details of the proposal.

The ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, insisted that any agreement reached with the Federal Government would be binding on the states, thus opening another battle front between the union and the government.

Members of ASUU, including federal and state universities, had embarked on a strike on February 14, 2022.

Following the inability of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige to resolve the strike, President Muhammdu Buhari two weeks ago directed the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to take over the negotiation with the ASUU leadership.

To compel a quick resolution of the crisis, the Nigeria Labour Congress held nationwide protests on July 26 and 27 in solidarity with the union.

However, ASUU on Monday extended the industrial action by another four weeks.

Responding to a question from The PUNCH on whether the proposed agreement would be binding on all universities in the country, Goong said, “The agreement between the Federal Government is not binding on state universities. Education is on the concurrent list, the Federal Government cannot tell states what to do when it comes to the management of their institutions.

“Any agreement made with ASUU is only binding on the institutions owned by the Federal Government. The state government will handle their own institutions.”

But reacting to the government’s position in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, the ASUU president stated that the university system is a single entity, arguing further that there was no disparity between state and federal universities.

Osodeke said, “I don’t know who you spoke to but that person doesn’t know what he is saying. I can tell you that the renegotiation team is made up of pro-chancellors of state and federal universities. So, how can anyone say the agreement won’t be binding on state universities? The person doesn’t know what he is saying.”

The ASUU leader contended that the few institutions that did not join in the strike were not their members.

He also warned that Nigeria had just one university system and as such the issue of salary is personal to the union.

The directive was reportedly conveyed in a circular issued to principals of federal unity schools by the Federal Ministry of Education.

In the circular signed by Binta Abdulkadir, Director, Senior Secondary Education at the education ministry and distributed to principals of unity schools, the Federal Ministry of Education also directed principals of unity schools to expel senior students who sit for external examinations before SS3 class, as they could distract other students from achieving their goals.

It read “The ministry’s attention has been drawn to the flagrant disregard to its directive on (the) writing of external examinations such as NABTEB (NTC and NBC), WASSCE, NECO (SSCE) by SS1 and SS2 students. Students who are involved in the practice find it difficult to settle down on serious studies. They become unruly and distract other students from achieving their goals. Any student caught having written any of the above examinations in SS1 or SS2 classes will be expelled from the college. All students must write these examinations after they have been duly registered for the examination by the college. All students of Federal Unity College should adhere strictly to the content of this circular. And Principals are advised to bring the content of this circular to the knowledge of all parents of the college”

The Ministry, however, reaffirmed that the council has the power to hire and fire, but that due process must be followed in doing so.

This was disclosed in a statement by the spokesperson of the FMoE, Ben Goong in Abuja on Wednesday.

It reads: “My dear colleagues, the Federal Ministry of Education wishes to state that it is yet to be briefed on the developments at the University of Lagos regarding the purported removal of the VC.

“While the Ministry awaits for the proper briefing from the university authorities, it is important to reaffirm that council has the power to hire and fire but that due process must be followed in doing so.”

Recall that the Registrar and Secretary to Council, Mr. Oladejo Azeez, in a statement titled: Notice to the General Public on the removal of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, announced Ogundipe’s ‘removal’ from office.

The council based the decision on gross misconduct, financial recklessness among others.

But the embattled Vice Chancellor in a statement insisted he remained in office, stating his purported removal was a figment of imagination and false.