Education
COVID-19: Prudential Zenith Life Donates $100,000 to Slum2School
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The sum of $100,000 has been donated to Slum2School Africa by Prudential Zenith Life Insurance to help combat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in disadvantaged communities in Nigeria.
It was gathered that the gesture came through a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Fund from the Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential Plc in Asia and Africa.
Slum2School Africa is a leading volunteer-driven developmental organisation, transforming society by empowering underprivileged children in slums and remote communities with quality education, entrepreneurial skills and psychosocial support to enable them to realise their full potential and become social reformers.
Speaking during the presentation of the cheque, the Managing Director/CEO, Prudential Zenith Life Insurance Limited, Mr Chuks Igumbor, said that: “Our contribution to Slum2School’s activities demonstrates our corporate social responsibility action plan which is targeted towards communities most in need of the support we provide.”
He noted further that “the Coronavirus pandemic has impacted all aspects of our lives including the education sector, with a steep widening of education inequality as children and youths from underprivileged communities are unable to access the learning materials that students from affluent backgrounds are able to access.
“The strategic partnership between Prudential Zenith Life and Slum2School, therefore, aims to bridge this gap and engage learners from Nursery to Senior Secondary School across twenty slums and communities in Lagos State.”
The $100,000 donation will be used to procure 300 tablets with internet connections, 34 laptops for Slum2School facilitators, 34 whiteboards, markers and board eraser sets, state-of-the-art learning studio for 50-90 pupils per session, stationery for students, as well as learning programs and software. In addition to the cash donation, relief foodstuff was also provided to less privileged families within the identified communities to assist in these trying times.
Prudential Zenith Life Insurance Limited is part of Prudential Plc, one of the oldest and most strongly capitalised life insurance companies in the world. It provides a range of insurance and investment-linked savings products designed to suit corporate and individual customers’ budgets.
Prudential Zenith Life seeks to remove uncertainty from life’s big events, providing customers with the freedom to confront the future with greater confidence. It is equally committed to meeting the long-term savings and protection needs of families and businesses in Nigeria.
Whether someone is starting a family, saving for a child’s education or planning for old age, Prudential Zenith Life provides customers with financial peace of mind.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Mr Ishaq Oloyede, has admitted to errors from the examination body leading to mass failure during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
“What should have been a moment of joy has changed due to one or two errors,” Mr Oloyede said during an ongoing press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
The 2025 UTME, one of the first two exams towards tertiary institution admission in Nigeria, recorded a high rate of low marks as over 1.5 million of the 1.9 million candidates reportedly scored below 200 out of the maximum 400 marks.
Giving a breakdown, JAMB said a total of 1,955,069 results were processed, out of which only 4,756 candidates (0.24 per cent) scored 320 and above, considered top-tier performance, while 7,658 candidates (0.39 per cent) scored between 300 and 319, bringing the total for those who scored 300 and above to 12,414 candidates (0.63 per cent).
Also, 73,441 candidates (3.76 per cent) scored between 250 and 299 while 334,560 candidates (17.11 per cent) scored between 200 and 249.
A total of 983,187 candidates (50.29 per cent) scored between 160 and 199, which is widely regarded as the minimum threshold for admissions in many institutions.
In the same vein, 488,197 candidates (24.97 per cent) scored between 140 and 159, 57,419 candidates (2.94 per cent) scored between 120 and 139, 3,820 candidates (0.20 per cent) scored between 100 and 119, and 2,031 candidates (0.10 per cent) scored below 100.
Over 75 per cent of all candidates (1.5 million) scored below 200, average score seeing as the examination is graded over 400.
The high failure rate led to worries with JAMB ordering an immediate review of the results. This will be carried on Thursday, May 15.
The review meeting would bring together vice-chancellors, provosts, rectors, school principals, examiners, and technical experts to scrutinise the examination process and address the widespread dissatisfaction expressed by candidates and stakeholders.
It was also reported that thousands of candidates are preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against the Board over the alleged irregularities that led to mass failure.
In his reaction, the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, attributed the mass failure to the efficacy of JAMB’s anti-malpractice technology.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ordered an immediate review of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) following public outcry over technical glitches and threats of lawsuits.
The board, in a statement issued by its Public Communication Advisor, Mr Fabian Benjamin, acknowledged what it described as an “unusual volume of complaints” since the release of the UTME results last Friday.
Last week, JAMB announced that over 1.5 million out of the 1.9 million candidates that sat for the 2025 exercise scored below 200 out of the total 400 marks.
It said the development had prompted it to fast-track its annual post-examination review process, which typically takes place months after the exercise.
“We are particularly concerned about the unusual complaints originating from a few states within the federation. We are currently scrutinising these complaints in detail to identify and rectify any potential technical issues,” the statement read.
The spokesperson explained that the annual review covers three stages of the UTME cycle—registration, examination, and result release, adding that if any faults are found in the system, JAMB would not hesitate to implement “appropriate remedial measures.”
“To assist in this process, we have engaged a number of experts, including members from the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, Chief External Examiners, who are heads of tertiary institutions, the Educational Assessment and Research Network in Africa, measurement experts, and Vice Chancellors from various institutions,” he said.
The exam board noted that “If it is determined that there were indeed glitches, we will implement appropriate remedial measures promptly, as we do in the case of the examinations themselves.”
This development comes amid reports that thousands of candidates are preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against the Board over the alleged irregularities that led to mass failure.
The chief executive of Educare, Mr Alex Onyia, has commenced legal proceeding with almost 9,000 affected students by the issue on board, saying the demand is for JAMB to show students their mark sheets to view their results and enforce more transparency.
Many claim they encountered technical malfunctions and inconsistent question displays during the examination and this has sparked conversation on social media
In reaction, the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, attributed the mass failure to the efficacy of JAMB’s anti-malpractice technology.
He defended the results, stating that the board’s computer-based testing system “had made cheating nearly impossible” and should be extended to other national examinations such as WAEC and NECO.
JAMB Registrar, Mr Ishaq Oloyede, also dismissed claims that the 2025 results were unprecedented, pointing out that similar performance trends have been recorded in previous years.
Despite the registrar’s defence, pressure continues to mount on the Board, with widespread calls for transparency and fairness in the marking and result collation processes.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Professor Chris Piwuna has been elected as the next president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), replacing Professor Emmanuel Osodeke.
The new ASUU chief was elected at the 23rd National Delegates Congress of the group in Benin City, Edo State on Sunday.
He is a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Plateau State, and won the exercise contested alongside Professor Adamu Babayo of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
The ASUU president is also the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos.
His predecessor is a Professor of Soil Science from the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State.
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