BusinessDay 31 Oct 2017

More documents

Recommendations

Info

C002D5556 Tuesday 31 October 2017 22 BUSINESS DAY businessday EDUCATION Weekly insight on current and future trends in education Higher Primary/Secondary Human Capital Understanding students’ learning styles facilitates classroom interaction STEPHEN ONYEKWELU It was a sunny day and twenty year old Edet, a 300 levels Nigerian student of Computer Science at the Stellenbosch University, South-Africa (SA) was unwinding at the school’s recreational facility after a typical hard day’s labour and wondering how fortunate she was to find lecturers who understood she was different, had personal idiosyncrasies and preferences which affected her learning style. Before she left for the SA, she had attended both public primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. She still recalls her mathematics teachers had told her she had no business studying maths or maths related courses because she simply was not cut out for such abstractions. She believed this until her uncle took her to SA. At Stellenbosch University, she had various forms of psychometric tests administered on her to discover her particular learning preferences and style. This in turn helped her lecturers tailor their teaching style or pedagogy to her individual learning preferences. Learning style is the preference or predisposition of an individual to per- L-R: Tom Isibor, Head, ACCA Nigeria; Jonathan Mbewe, Head, Education and Development, SSA; Patrick Nwakogo, Country Director and CEO at Dale Carnegie Nigeria; Victor Ayoola, Education and Learning Manager, and Mukoso Eddie- Obiakor, Marketing Manager, East & West Africa, all of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). ceive and process information in one particular way or a combination of ways. Research suggests that learning styles originate with a large genetic component – but they can change and develop throughout life. Understanding one’s learning style is the first step in learning how you learn. Using study methods appropriate for one’s learning style will facilitate learning, rather than impede it. “One of the biggest problems for education in Nigeria is the tendency to ignore the individual differences and learning styles or preferences of students. In a bid to cover the content prescribed by the syllabus some teachers unwittingly make students learn by rote with little understanding because their learning styles would have been violated. What happens is that at the end of the day students have little understanding of what they were taught” said Odumosu Omolara, a curriculum development expert and CEO Class Climax Consulting Ltd. Omolara added that one of the best approaches to learning and teaching is a project based learning methodology. In this light, learning outcomes are organised around a project meant to solve a concrete problem. In research paper published by the Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic research, a cross sectional study was conducted on 100 first semester medical students who were enrolled at SMS & R, Sharda University, India. The VARK questionnaire, version 7.1 was used to categorise the learning preferences/modes as visual (V), auditory (A), read and write (R) and kinaesthetic (K). The students were also asked to rank the various teaching methodologies namely; lectures, tutorials, demonstrations and practicals/dissections from the most preferred choice to the least preferred one. Nestle equips Abuja teachers against unhealthy diets RAZAQ AYINLA As part of efforts to ensure healthy living and good diets formation, especially among pupils in primary schools, Nestle Nigeria PLC has organised a one-day health and nutrition empowerment workshop for the primary school teachers in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory with a view to instill good eating habits into the younger ones. According to the giant food and beverage firm, the workshop is part of ongoing Nestle Healthy Kids Programme which is aimed at making teachers understand reasons they must encourage their pupils to eat healthy and nutritious food. Speaking at the event held in Abuja recently, Gloria Nwabuike, Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of Nestle Nigeria PLC noted that the firm is committed to inspiring people, especially the younger ones to lead healthy lives by building, sharing and applying nutrition knowledge as core teaching aids and guidelines for good life. Nwabuike, who implored teachers to help disseminate information on nutritious diets and healthy living as inputs responsible for longer life expectancy, stated that Nestle Nigeria PLC had a target of helping 50 million children worldwide to eat healthy and nutritious meals by the year 2030. More professional skills for accountants as employers look beyond ethics STEPHEN ONYEKWELU Accountants under the aegis of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) have decided to scale up their professional offering by rethinking their qualification requirements in response to the demands of employers. More skills are now needed for them to be certified ready for employment. Increasingly, employers of labour are demanding much more from the accountants, insisting that what they are offering at the moment will no longer be enough going into the future, especially with the challenging work environment, meaning that the accountants need to equip themselves with the tools to overcome those challenges. ACCA, a global organisation in over 100 countries of the world, is always innovating and equipping its members with relevant and modern skills that place them in good stead to compete and excel in a challenging business and professional environment such as Nigeria. In response to the new demands from employers, the association recently launched a new module known as Ethics and Professional Skills Module (EPSM). “The main purpose of launching this module is for us to respond to our employers who are telling us that our members need more than ethics; that they need a whole range of skills wrapped around the qualification they have; the employers are saying Expert tasks FG to invest more in education SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin Chris Imafidon, a renowned Consultant to Presidents, European and America Governments, and Oxford professor has charged Nigerian government to invest more in education, go for universal genius programme or talent development for individual entrepreneurship. According to Imafidon, ‘‘if you invest in education, you are smart. In Nigeria we spend more money on defence than the education sector, if we fail to spend more money to educate our children; it will bounce back at us. We cannot defend an empty house, a dilapidated house and leave our children and the most valuable asset we have which is the brain desolate. In fact, I would like to have a private discussion with the president and the senate president.” The chair and founder, Excellence in Education Programme (Oxford ,United Kigdom) spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State capital while delivering the 33rd convocation lecture of the University of Ilorin titled ‘‘The Genius in You: New Tools, Techniques and Technology for Developing Individual and Institutional Greatness’’ the first ever he had delivered on any Africa soil. to us that, going into the future, it is not going to be enough to have ethics but professional skills”, explained Jonathan Mbewe, ACCA’s Head of Education and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, who spoke at the EPSM launch in Lagos. Continuing, he said, “what we have done is to tell our members that, over and above ethics, if you want to do business, you also need some professional skills. All these years, we have been talking about ethics but from the end of October 2017, we will be telling our members more about professional skills that will help them to perform their job well”. Mbewe added that the launching of EPSM is also the best way for the association to equip its members with sufficient ethics and skills in a way that will help them in their career. Imafidon who argued that if education sector in Nigeria is receiving adequate facilities and infrastructure, the country will improve and produce better future leaders, recommended that, “let us go for universal genius programme or talent development for individual entrepreneurship or immediate job market and shut down the paper mills that are mischievously called tertiary institutions as graduate unemployment is an oxymoron. We cannot have paper factories and call them Universities.’’ “If Nigeria failed to invest more in education, our children will come after us when we are old,” he warns Edusko hosts school leaders at business of education summit STEPHEN ONYEKWELU Edusko, a leading edutech company, hosted hundreds of school leaders across Nigeria in its maiden edition of the Business of Education summit Oct. 12. The event had various thought and business leaders who shared their wealth of experience with the school leaders on how they could improve on school outcomes through inspiring leadership. In his welcoming address, the convener of the summit Jide Ayegbusi reiterated Edusko’s commitment to impacting the Nigerian education sector through programmes and initiatives that can help its partners manage their schools better as well as help parents who regularly use Edusko’s online platform to find good schools, make better choices for their children. “Some have asked us why this event is free for the participants. Our simple answer is the best things in life are free. This is our own little way of impacting the education sector and key stakeholders in it. Together, we can make the education sector and system great again,” said Ayegbusi. Chris Ogbechie, keynote speaker and member of faculty at the Pan- Atlantic University, Lagos, told the audience that today’s parents take a closer look at the quality of school leaders before making school choices, emphasising the need for school owners to set high expectations. Ogbechie said, “as proprietors of schools you have to set high expectations. You must refuse to accept a low-aspirational mindset for your students just because of the state of the country and the complex issues we currently face. Schools should develop systems where teachers are supported and challenged to search for more effective ways of enabling all students to learn.” Similarly, Lolade Adewuyi, founder, CampsBay Media shared the importance of schools increasing sports participation to grow the leadership potentials of their students while also helping to develop the sports business ecosystem. “Engaged students mean fewer agitations and unruly behaviour. Active students mean stronger bodies and less time spent in the sick bay. More sport means more business for all,” Adewuyi said. In the panel discussion, Lanre Olusola (The Catalyst) mentioned why school leaders should change with the changing world. “Everything is changing, teachers, therefore, have to change the dynamics of how they teach”, he said. Olusola went further to say that parents ought to complement the work teachers are doing at home. Stephen Onyekwelu Content producer Fifen Eyemisanre Famous Graphics For comments and contribution write to: stephen.onyekwelu@ businessdayonline.com
Tuesday 31 October 2017 Isaac Osae-Brown Special education administrators and support providers spend a great deal of time and energy working with their students but a major factor of the success of these students in school is the support and involvement of their parents. Parents need practical tips about how to interact with their children at home. As an education Specialist in the field of special education, I will suggest the following techniques/tips to parents of children with disabilities to facilitate the process of home work and minimize frustration and anger. Set up a homework schedule: Children with disabilities may decide to do their homework after school or after dinner. Encourage the child to make a personal choice of study time preference and when the time is determined, the schedule should be adhered to as much as possible. Ensure that during this time, no interruptions are allowed, such as phone calls, television and tech games. Be a role model for learning: Parents are their children’s first teachers - exploring nature, reading together, cooking together, and counting businessday EDUCATION Focus On Special Education: Dealing with parents of children with disabilities an entire class homework assignment for their children. The result may be very destructive. Children with disabilities tend to feel inadequate when parents finish their homework. They may feel a sense of failure and inadequacy because they can never hope to do the homework as well as their parents can. Research reveals that this can foster increased dependency and feelings of helplessness on the part of the children. Connect what your child learns to the world: Find ageappropriate ways to help your older child connect his school learning to world events. Start by asking questions. For example, ask a fifth grader if she knows about a recent event, and what’s she heard. Help your child take charge of his learning: “We want to keep children in charge of their learning and become responsible for it. We want them to be responsible for their successes and failures, show them how engaging learning is all about. Keep TV to a minimum: Parents can shape how TV affects their children by setting limits on how much they watch and what they watch by talking to them through positive modeling. For example: • Set rules on how much TV they can watch. Recommend no more than 1-2 hours a day of quality programming. • Model good TV behavior! Watch more educational programs and less Nollywood or Hollywood movtogether. Through guidance and reminders, help your children organize their time and support their desires to learn new things in and out of school. Pay attention to what your child loves: One of the most important things a parent can do is notice the children. Are they interested in computer technology or shy to communicate? Find out what interests their interest are and help him explore it. Practice what your child learns at school: On a daily basis, I encourage parents to go over what their children are learning in a non-pressured way and to practice what they may need extra help with. Set aside time to read together: Read aloud regularly by exposing them to textbook chapters on DVDs and CDs. Research reveals that the more sensory input children receive, the greater the chance they will retain information. If your child is a reluctant reader, reading aloud will expose him to the structure and vocabulary of good literature and get him interested in reading more. Connect what your child learns to everyday life: Make learning part of your child’s everyday experience, especially when it comes out of your child’s natural questions. When you cook together, do measuring math. When you drive in the car, count license plates and talk about the states. Avoid finishing class assignments for your child: Some parents will complete Two finalists emerge from Rivers state for 2017 Cowbellpedia Competition The 2017 Cowbellpedia Secondary School Mathematics TV Quiz Show sponsored by Cowbell, the flagship brand from Promasidor Nigeria Limited, approached a crucial bend recently when two students from Graceland International School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State cruised into the final stage. In the Junior category, Osasere Egharevba and Jessey Uche-Nwichi pushed off the stiff challenge from Chukelu Egboga of Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja; Ibrahim Jajere of Nigerian Tulip International College, Damaturu, Yobe State; Anita Alabi of Gloryland Secondary School, Igarra, Edo State and Tamunokuro Braide of Graceland International School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The 13-year-old Egharevba, who is participating in the competition for the first time, was very excited getting to the final and prayed for more grace and speed to overcome challenges in the final battle. “I feel very happy get to the final. I am grateful to God, my parents and my teacher for their support and guidance. Now I will pray more and read more. I am here for the first time, and my expectation is to win the ultimate prize,” she said. Uche-Nwichi, who scored 98 per cent in the qualifying examination, also expressed confidence in his ability to excel at the final and win the ultimate prize. In the Senior category, Michael Paul of Excelgrace Academy, Gboko, Benue State, and Oluwanifise ies. Shows with more violent or sexual content should be viewed when younger children are not around. • Help them balance TV with other activities. Encourage them to spend time finding and doing other activities they enjoy such as: reading, music/arts, sports and social activities. All behavior must have a consequence: Appropriate behavior should be rewarded and negative behavior punished. Parents should avoid hard punishments because this will only confuse children and distort their frame of reference. For our children with disabilities, five minutes in a time-out chair or taking away a desired item is just as good. Rewarding children for cleaning their room without having been told to do so reinforces the continuation of that behavior. In conclusion, parents should be aware that parenting is not a popularity contest but a responsibility. Following these parental guidelines will help build a positive relationship with your children in a world that is soaked with indiscipline and deprived disposition. Isaac Osae-Brown works for the Compton Unified School District in California, as an Education Specialist and a beginning Teacher Mentor. He is an advocate and a speaker for Special Education services in the United States and abroad. www.facebook.com/inclusivemindset Onafowokan of The Ambassadors College, Ota, Ogun State, scaled through to the finals. Paul had a perfect score in the qualifying examination, while Onafowokan scored 95 per cent. The duo got the better of Rukevwe Ugoji of St. Augustine College, New Karu, Nasarawa State; Plangdi Neple of Baptist High School, Jos, Plateau State; Blessing Olaleye of Reality High School, Ilesha, Osun State and Oluwatade Akinjide of the Learningfield School, Satellite Town, Lagos State. Onafowokan, who answered 13 questions in the Cowbellpedia 60 Seconds of Fame segment, has vowed to emulate her school mate, Ayooluwa Oguntade, who won the Senior Category last year. The star prize in the Senior and Junior categories is N1 million each and an allexpense paid educational excursion outside the country. The first and second runnersup for each category will go home with N750,000 and N500,000 respectively. Each teacher of the 2017 champions will be awarded N400,000, while those of the first and second runners-up will receive N300,000 and N200,000 respectively. Also, the winning schools will be rewarded with Mathematics textbooks, desktop computers and printers. The 2017 Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematic TV Quiz continues this weekend. It will be aired to millions of viewers on DSTv Africa Magic Family Channel, AIT Network and other six television stations across the country. C002D5556 BUSINESS DAY 23 human capital 15 ways to improve employee productivity – Part 2 Orji Udemezue Poorly trained employees lack the power to out-do competitors even in the face of economic uncertainties. Developing employee capacity must involve a combination of various activities and practices, including: regular team or in-house training and reviews; external training interventions (local and international); sponsoring employees to attend seminars, conferences, workshops, and networking events; secondments to other companies; granting study or sabbatical leaves; encouraging professional certifications; and volunteering employees for training and education activities; among a host others. When you fail to develop your employees, you have no moral obligation to demand the best from them. 5. Deploy Appropriately: There is nothing as unproductive as deploying employees to roles or functions where their major strengths cannot be utilized. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and most people perform better in roles where their strengths are most easily deployed to get things done. For proper deployment of employees, business leaders must ensure adequate interactions with prospective and existing employees in order to better understand their core talents and competencies as well as their key development areas. 6. Reward Innovatively: In order to drive employee engagement through adequate motivation, organizations must be innovative with their reward systems. While paying competitive salaries and allowances remain a very critical aspect of good employee motivation, smart companies must adopt other uncommon but effective reward systems depending on the culture, personality types and the prevailing needs of their people. Performance-driven bonuses; surprise bonuses; allowing days off work; sponsoring family trips and holidays; having lunch or dinner with the CEO; appreciation letters; awards and recognitions; as well as sponsorship to foreign seminars, workshops and trainings are all smart new ways to reward today’s employees and enhance productivity. 7. Create A Friendly Work Environment: People generally spend most of their active days and hours at the workplace. So, fostering a work environment where people feel happy, accepted, safe, inspired and positively challenged helps energize the mind and the heart of employees, and hence, enhance productivity. Teamwork and team spirit are important elements of a friendly work environment. Team leaders must ensure everyone does real work and are held mutually accountable for the collective work product. They must also ensure fair and reasonable distribution of resources in the team. Team building activities must include ways to make employees bond effectively as well as some family events that enable employees’ families get together in a fun environment. This promotes friendliness amongst team members, reduce conflicts, minimize feelings of vulnerability, and empower employees to be the best they can be at work. 8. Empower Them: Giving employees the authority or some level of freedom to take certain decisions or actions without management intervention could make all the difference in promoting operational leadership and service excellence – especially in service organizations like hotels, hospitals, financial institutions, restaurants, telecom companies, etc. This does not only reduce unnecessary bureaucracies, redundancies, and delays but also improves the ability to recover bad service situations – allowing responsive approach in dealing with customer issues. Empowering employees is, however, not a decision that must be taken carelessly. It requires trust, confidence and belief. It must follow a proper selection, orientation, training/coaching, and motivation of employees. An engaged employee who is empowered is a driving force for progress and prosperity of any organization. 9. Encourage Annual Leaves: Many companies make it difficult for employees to go on their annual leaves, and, in fact, sometimes pay them allowances in lieu of their annual leave days. This is not only a killer of productivity but also a poor risk management practice in organizations. Human beings are not machines; even machines take time off for maintenance! Working for a long period without leave days or rest is really a sure way to encourage mediocrity and ineffectiveness – stifling innovation and creativity. The human brain needs some recreation and relaxing in order to produce great ideas and solutions. Orji Udemezue is the CEO of Flame Academy & Consulting Limited.
Page 1 and 2: NSE 36,450 36,400 36,350 36,300 36,
Page 3 and 4: Tuesday 31 October 2017 BUSINESS DA
Page 5 and 6: Tuesday 31 October 2017 C002D5556 B
Page 9 and 10: Tuesday 31 October 2017 comment is
Page 11 and 12: Tuesday 31 October 2017 COMMENT RAF
Page 21: Tuesday 31 October 2017 C002D5556 B
Page 25 and 26: Tuesday 31 October 2017 BDTECH In a
Page 27 and 28: Tuesday Tuesday 31 31 October Octob
Page 29 and 30: C002D5556 BUSINESS DAY 29 Tuesday 3
Page 31 and 32: Tuesday 31 October 2017 BD Markets
Page 37 and 38: Tuesday 31 October 2017 NEWS Edo as
Page 39 and 40: Tuesday 31 October 2017 Access Bank
Page 41 and 42: Tuesday 31 October 2017 A2 BUSINESS
Page 43 and 44: Tuesday 31 Octoer 2017 A4 BUSINESS

BusinessDay 31 Oct 2017

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?