Education
Tether, Lugano City Partner Swiss Universities to Drive Bitcoin Education
By Adedapo Adesanya
Tether Operations Limited (Tether), the technology company supporting the blockchain-enabled platform that powers the largest stablecoin by market capitalization (USD₮), and the Swiss City of Lugano have announced the second inaugural Plan ₿ Summer School programme to drive Bitcoin education and boost Bitcoin profit.
The Plan ₿ Summer School was founded to make blockchain education accessible and to shape a new generation of business owners, students, researchers, and more. It is co-organized with Franklin University Switzerland (FUS), Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI).
Last year, Tether contributed its expertise and knowledge to this initiative by focusing on educating a new generation of students. The previous program gathered 86 students from 29 different countries, including Italy, Switzerland, Taiwan, Canada, Brazil, and Colombia, all of who brought with them a passion for learning about the future of the blockchain ecosystem and exploring new environments.
“A strong focus on education is a vital next step to mainstream adoption of blockchain and the long-term implication of blockchain technology,” said Mr Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s CTO.
“The Plan ₿ Summer School will allow participants to work with leading industry minds on developing peer-to-peer prototypes and deepening their understanding of the technology helping shape the next generation of founders, developers and creators.”
The focus of this year’s two-week Summer School program will be Bitcoin and Peer-to-Peer technologies and how they will unleash financial freedom and promote the freedom of speech. Course topics will focus on Bitcoin, the Lightning Network, stablecoins, peer-to-peer technologies, mining, blockchain analysis, regulation, self-custody, and more.
Students will be given the opportunity to choose one of the two-course tracks. The Satoshi track is designed for beginners with little to no experience in coding but with a general interest in the fundamentals of blockchain, and the Pear track is for intermediate to advanced students who are passionate about coding and interested in learning how to build on Peer-to-Peer technologies.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Plan ₿ Summer School once again, and we hope for the same turnout and attendance as the past year. Lugano will keep making its mark as a crypto and educational hub,” said Michele Foletti, Mayor of the City of Lugano. “We hope to educate a new generation of potential employers alongside local academic universities in order to make Lugano a hub for the future.”
Prominent industry leaders giving their time to guest lecture at the Plan ₿ Summer School include Paolo Ardoino, CTO of Tether, Adam Back, the CEO of Blockstream, Giacomo Zucco, the CEO of Zuckbucks, Sanja Kon, the CEO of UTrust, Riccardo Masutti Cybersecurity and Privacy Consultant focused in Bitcoin and more.
Luca Maria Gambardella, Pro-Rector for Innovation and Corporate Relations at the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) stated that he wishes to “promote the Summer School with enthusiasm and commitment, which reinforces the collaboration on education initiated between the partners with the ‘B4B – Blockchain for Business’ course, and which attracts experts, students and professionals from all over the world to Lugano, strengthening the Lugano Città Universitaria project as a place of study, meeting and comparison”.
Emanuele Carpanzano, SUPSI’s Director of Research, Development and Knowledge Transfer, agreed, speaking on behalf of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, saying: “We are delighted to contribute to the realisation of this Summer School in Lugano, an educational proposal in line with the mission we share with our partners: to transmit knowledge and skills, as well as to network students and professionals with each other”.
Kim Hildebrant and Dr. Branko Sain, respectively, President and Dean of Franklin University’s Taylor Institute, also declared, “Lugano’s Plan ₿ is an ambitious project for an ambitious city. We immediately found a common understanding with the Mayor of Lugano and his team around the opportunity to run the first edition of the Summer School last year and the privilege of hosting it again next summer. At Franklin University Switzerland, we believe that any kind of progress, be it social, environmental, economic or technological, requires positive change. And change is fostered by education and by selfless and courageous leadership like that of our City and the three local universities”.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, with 61.54 per cent of candidates obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
The Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Mr Amos Dangut, announced the results at a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday.
Mr Dangut said 1,200,514 candidates met the benchmark for admission to higher institutions, out of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination nationwide, held between April 24 and June 19.
He said 102,708 examiners were engaged in the marking exercise held at 88 marking venues across the country between 2 July and 20 July.
“Today, I am happy to inform you that all the processes leading to the release of results have been completed. It is now my pleasure to announce the release of the results of candidates who sat the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026 in Nigeria,” he said, directing candidates to the agency’s portal to access their results.
“UPDATE: 2026 WASSCE (SC) results have been released. Generate your PIN at waec.org and check your results now on waecdirect.org,” the examination body said, noting that candidates must obtain their Serial Number and PIN before they can check their results.
To generate the required credentials, candidates are expected to visit WAEC’s official website and select the “Serial Number and PIN” option at the top of the page.
They are then required to select the appropriate examination year and diet, enter their examination number and National Identification Number (NIN), and ensure that the NIN provided is the same one used during registration for the examination.
Candidates must also provide their email address and phone number to receive a One-Time Password (OTP).
After entering the OTP, candidates can recover their Serial Number and PIN, which they can subsequently use to check their results through WAEC Direct.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Over 200 senior students of Cleggs Girls High School, Surulere, Lagos, were on July 23, 2026, engaged in practical knowledge about the risks associated with smoking, vaping, and shisha.
This engagement was made possible through a collaboration between Breathe Life Foundation and Teach Nigeria Fellow.
Participants were students aged 15–19 years. They were also informed about the misconception that shisha is a safer alternative to cigarettes or other substances.
Through an engaging and interactive discussion, students explored the influence of peer pressure and learned practical strategies for making healthier, more informed lifestyle choices.
They also gained a better understanding of common environmental triggers of asthma and other respiratory conditions, including cigarette smoke, generator fumes, bush burning, mosquito coil smoke, candles, charcoal, and firewood.
The session highlighted an important reality: young people may not always recognise how seemingly routine lifestyle choices and environmental exposures can gradually affect their respiratory health, quality of life, and long-term wellbeing.
For Breathe Life Foundation, this reinforces the importance of shifting the conversation from treatment to prevention through awareness and education.
By equipping young people with the knowledge to identify risks and make healthier choices early, the foundation is helping to build a generation that is more conscious of – and better prepared to protect – its respiratory health.
The organisation said it is dedicated to advancing respiratory health, an often-neglected public health priority. Healthy lungs are essential to life, yet respiratory diseases remain among the world’s leading causes of death and disability, even though many are preventable and treatable.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) schemes, the Obajana Plant of Dangote Cement Plc has distributed some educational materials to some pupils in Kogi State.
The items shared to the beneficiaries included school bags, exercise books, writing materials, water bottles, and other essential learning aids aimed at enhancing the learning experience of the pupils and preparing them for the next academic session.
The General Manager for the Social Performance Department of Dangote Cement at Obajana Plant, Mr Ademola Adeyemi, said the materials were donated days after Dangote Cement distributed similar education materials to pupils in public schools in its catchment communities of Oyo, Iwaa, Obajana and Apata; and commissioned a multi-million-naira hospital in Obajana, which added to the growing list of social investments that includes an earlier hospital project in Iwaa and Oyo Communities.
He noted that, over the years, the company has invested billions of naira in a wide range of social programmes for host communities, including empowerment programmes, road construction, and potable water projects, and it remains resolute in its commitment to sustaining and expanding its interventions.
He noted that the company’s corporate social responsibility programmes are aligned with government development priorities and are implemented through sustained, mutually beneficial partnerships.
“The intervention was informed by findings from a needs assessment conducted by Dangote Cement. During the assessment, it was observed that several pupils attended school without school bags, while others carried their books by hand. It was also discovered that many students lacked essential learning materials such as exercise books, pens, pencils, and other basic learning materials,” the cement firm said.
The Head Teacher of UBE LGEA School, St. Luke Model II, Adankolo, Lokoja Local Government Area, Mr Abubakar Sanni, expressed profound appreciation to the management of Dangote Cement for the gesture.
The Head Teacher expressed gratitude to the Group President of the conglomerate, Aliko Dangote, for extending the company’s educational support programme beyond its host and impacted communities to schools located at the state headquarters.
The beneficiaries, school management, parents, and community stakeholders expressed gratitude to Dangote Cement for the timely intervention and prayed for the continued growth and success of the company in its efforts to improve lives and support sustainable community development.
