Universities claim British reputation damaged following UK immigration changes
The
Russell Group, a coalition of 24 of the UK's most prestigious
universities, has claimed the damage done by UK immigration policy
changes is already being felt as application rates drop.
The
Russell Group claim the UK's international reputation as a place to
study has been damaged due to changes to UK immigration policy.
As
part of its effort to reduce net immigration to the UK to the 'tens of
thousands' by the end of the current Parliament, the Government has made
drastic changes to UK visa and immigration policy - some of which have
affected international students.
Policy changes which came into
effect in April place more stringent requirements on English language
abilities and remove the right to work following graduation.
Universities
have consistently argued that international student numbers, which are
worth billions of pounds to the British economy every year, should be
removed from net migration stats but the Government has remained firm.
The
issue reached a head last month when London Metropolitan University's
(LMU) ability to vouch for international students was revoked, leaving
over 2,000 students with the prospect of finding alternative
institutions to study at, or returning home.
The LMU is yet to
be resolved by the Russell Group has claimed the damage has already been
done and UK visa applications from Indian students have already dropped
by as much as 30% in the wake of the scandal.
Craig Calhoun,
recently appointed director of the London School of Economics (LSE),
said in the aftermath of the LMU scandal, prospective international
students "are worried about the possibility the Government might
suddenly and without notice revoke visas."
"If you are a bright
student and you have offers from the LSE and Cambridge and Harvard and
you haven't got a visa for the UK, what are you going to do?" asked Mr
Calhoun, adding that the LMU scandal has done 'untold reputational
damage' to the country's international education industry.
Ministers
claim the changes are justified due to high levels of abuse within the
system; foreign citizens apply to university courses, enter the country
and then seek employment instead of studying.
Marissa Murdock, casework manager at the UK Visa Bureau, says ministers need to be aware of the impact policy changes can have.
"The
changes made to policy so far have been very heavy handed and the drop
in application numbers was predictable," said Ms Murdock.
"Everyone
agrees the system needs to become more stringent to limit abuse, but it
shouldn't come at the cost of one of the country's most profitable and
well respected industries."
Monday, 15 October 2012
Thursday, 11 October 2012
Patience Jonathan To Return Home
A presidential jet is scheduled to fly out of Abuja tonight to bring home Nigeria's ailing First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan.
Presidency sources told SaharaReporters today that Mrs. Jonathan will return to the country as early as tomorrow if everything works as planned.
Mrs. Jonathan was secretly flown out of Abuja nearly six weeks ago, at the end of August, after she developed complications from a cosmetic procedure she had undertaken in Dubai.
Upon returning to Nigeria from Dubai, she was flown out to Germany in an air ambulance following an emergency which was initially diagnosed as "food poisoning." Several investigations by SaharaReporters however revealed that her medical condition was more complicated and precarious. Among others, in the early stages she lost her power of speech for four days.
In an effort to cover up her health condition, the presidency has, during Mrs. Jonathan’s hospitalization, engaged in a game of hide-and-seek with the media, at first claiming that the First Lady was only resting after a hectic schedule of hosting the African First Ladies Forum.
Although several reports have pinpointed the nature of Mrs. Jonathan’s condition since then, the President and his aides have chosen to hide it from the public despite spending several millions of dollars in public funds on her treatment.
Last week, the president's office made available to the public a grainy, three-second video clip that said showed that Mrs. Jonathan was "hale and hearty." Neither the date nor the location of the video was identified, but Mr. Jonathan 's spokesperson said the president had embarked on a secret trip to his wife accompanied by the Presidential villa's vicar and two of the president's kids.
Cameroonian Gendarmes Force Bakassi Indigenes To Leave Their Homeland
Cameroon moves to take possession of Bakassi Peninsula with heavy security
CALABAR—BARELY 24 hours to the expiration of the window of opportunity to appeal against the International court of Justice, ICJ, ruling that ceded the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in October 10, 2002, there are influx of stern looking men believed to be security operatives from Cameroon
The increased presence of security operatives from Cameroon according to Nigerian Sources at the island was to ensure that the country takes absolute control of the area following Nigeria’s failure to appeal against the judgment or call for a review.
The Sources also claimed that in the past few weeks, Nigerian indigenes resident at the disputed island have not been able to reach at their relations in Nigeria through phone calls, while the Cameroon government had infiltrated families of Nigerians at the area causing division among them.
A highly placed Bakassi Local Government Council official who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity alleged that some Nigerians doing business at the Peninsula had complained of harassment by the Cameroon security agents.
The official also said that there had been many strange faces suspected to be security personnel coming in groups in preparation of taking complete control of the place.
Meanwhile, President of Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Nasir Isa has said that Nigeria made a mistake in handling the matter and that the federal government also made a great mistake by committing herself to hand over Bakassi to Cameroon, adding that children in Bakassi have the right to decide where to belong.
[quote]Adoke said the Nigerian government was determined to protect the interests of the local population "including negotiations aimed at buying back the territory."
However, Cameroonian government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary said recently "Bakassi is Cameroon and this is non-negotiable."
Tension remains high in the swampy region, which is home to several armed groups. A movement called the Bakassi Self-Determination Front declared independence from Cameroon in August, hosting a flag and setting up an FM radio station. It is not clear how much support it has.
Vincent Aquah, chairman of the Cross Rivers State Emergency Management Agency told DW there were indications that the Bakassi people were being forced to leave their homeland. "From the stories they tell us, there is a high degree of hostility from the Cameroonian gendarmes."
DW's Moki Kindzeka says the inhabitants of Bakassi were given five years, under the Green Tree agreement between Cameroon and Nigeria, to decide whether they wanted to become Cameroonians or remain Nigerians.
Sam Olukoya, a DW correspondent in Lagos, says that former Bakassi residents who have already fled their homeland for Nigeria face a tough time.
In the area where the Nigerian government is resettling them, there is a lack of basic facilities such as shelter, water and health care. There are also problems of adjustment. "They are being resettled on dry land where fishing, their traditional occupation is not possible," he says. [url]http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16296454,00.html [/url] http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/10/cameroon-moves-to-take-possession-of-bakassi-peninsula-with-heavy-security/
Friday, 5 October 2012
Expect Another Civil War” – Bakassi Warns FG
The Federal government has been warned that another civil war
may break out if it fails to appeal against the International Court of
Justice (IJC) judgment over ceding the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to
Cameroon, Cakebird Development Cooperation has said.
Reatively, Bishop of Calabar Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Tunde Adeleye, has called on the higher authorities not to fail in the appeal against the judgement since Nigeria can’t afford to witness another civil war.
Chairman of Cakebird Development Cooperation, Dr. Chinedu Jideofo-Ogbuagu, disclosed this in Calabar, Cross River State capital on Tuesday when he said that the only war to avoid is the repetition of 1966-1970 events, and to avoid this, the federal government must appeal against the ICJ judgment.
The chairman lamented that instead of President Goodluck Jonathan to appeal against the judgment, he succumbed to pressures from past leaders, who allegedly sold the Peninsula to Cameroun.
He said: “Assisted by some foreign powers, Cameroun is waiting for action, whereas there are powers somewhere in the country campaigning that the wicked sale of Bakassi should be forgotten.
Reatively, Bishop of Calabar Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Tunde Adeleye, has called on the higher authorities not to fail in the appeal against the judgement since Nigeria can’t afford to witness another civil war.
Chairman of Cakebird Development Cooperation, Dr. Chinedu Jideofo-Ogbuagu, disclosed this in Calabar, Cross River State capital on Tuesday when he said that the only war to avoid is the repetition of 1966-1970 events, and to avoid this, the federal government must appeal against the ICJ judgment.
The chairman lamented that instead of President Goodluck Jonathan to appeal against the judgment, he succumbed to pressures from past leaders, who allegedly sold the Peninsula to Cameroun.
He said: “Assisted by some foreign powers, Cameroun is waiting for action, whereas there are powers somewhere in the country campaigning that the wicked sale of Bakassi should be forgotten.
JAMB Introduces Three Testing Methods For 2013 UTME
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced three
options for the 2013 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)
for candidates. Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, Registrar of JAMB, made the
announcement, on Wednesday, when the House of Representatives Committee
on Education visited him on an oversight function.
Ojerinde listed the options as Paper and Pencil Testing (PPT), Dibu Based Test (DBT), where questions would be presented on computers and answers would be on paper and Computer Based Testing (CBT) where both questions and answers would be done on computer.
Ojerinde stated that candidates were at liberty to choose one of the three options in the 2013 UTME.
The registrar said that the most advantageous part of the CBT was that candidates would get their scores few minutes after writing the examination on their GSM cell phones.
``The internet age has come to stay with us hence as actors in the new age, you cannot afford to stay on the fence, you must be prepared to join the train or else you are left behind,'' Dibu said.
He urged candidates to study hard for the 2013 UTME, adding that consistent hard work was the panacea to success in any examination.
Earlier, Rose Oko, the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, said that the members were on a visit to the board because of the importance of education to the society.
``The examination process is very key and strategic in education as well as the sanctity of the examination,'' she stressed.
Oko commended the board for its quick release of the 2012 UTME results and urged it to sustain the tempo.
Ojerinde listed the options as Paper and Pencil Testing (PPT), Dibu Based Test (DBT), where questions would be presented on computers and answers would be on paper and Computer Based Testing (CBT) where both questions and answers would be done on computer.
Ojerinde stated that candidates were at liberty to choose one of the three options in the 2013 UTME.
The registrar said that the most advantageous part of the CBT was that candidates would get their scores few minutes after writing the examination on their GSM cell phones.
``The internet age has come to stay with us hence as actors in the new age, you cannot afford to stay on the fence, you must be prepared to join the train or else you are left behind,'' Dibu said.
He urged candidates to study hard for the 2013 UTME, adding that consistent hard work was the panacea to success in any examination.
Earlier, Rose Oko, the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, said that the members were on a visit to the board because of the importance of education to the society.
``The examination process is very key and strategic in education as well as the sanctity of the examination,'' she stressed.
Oko commended the board for its quick release of the 2012 UTME results and urged it to sustain the tempo.
Deputy Governor Of Taraba Impeached
Taraba State House of Assembly on Thursday removed Deputy Governor Sani Abubakar for “gross misconduct.”
The deputy governor had been accused of diverting a Millennium Development Goals project to his private school, Yagai Academy, which houses his other business ventures like Yagai Water, Yagai Printing Press and Yagai Restaurant, acts which the house of assembly described as “gross misconduct.”
The house of assembly said locating the MDG ICT Centre and sinking motorised boreholes in Yagai Academy were unacceptable, as the school was his private venture and members of the public could not access them.
They also alleged that Danladi used his influence to acquire “a large expanse of land in Jalingo on which he built Yagai Academy (together with all other multi million naira business ventures sited therein like Yagai Water, Yagai Printing Press and Yagai Restaurant), an institution which is worth about N1 billion.
The lawmakers said his total emoluments as a deputy governor could not justify such investments, adding that he had breached the code of conduct for public office-holders which requires that he shows transparency in the act of governance.
He was also accused of undue interference in the postings and transfers of indigenes of his local government area, Karim Lamido, and working against the interests of other stakeholders of the local government area.
Responding to the lawmakers’ allegations, Danladi said the Yagai Cybercafe was an initiative of a member of the House of Representatives and its current Chief Whip, Ishaka Bawa, representing Wukari/Ibi federal constituency.
Danladi said the project was carried out by MDGs Projects for Yagai Academy, noting that the school did not request or solicit for either in writing or orally.
He said the MDGs office put its logo on the projects as a confirmation of its contribution to the development of the school, adding that Yagai, as a profit-making venture, could sink a borehole from its profits.
He added that the contract for solar lights at Yagai and street lights were not awarded by his office, adding that all the contracts were awarded by the state government after being subjected to due process.
He also said his office was not assigned the responsibility of monitoring and supervising the contract and he could not be held responsible for the diversion of such projects.
Danladi also presented a document to show how he acquired and built the Yagai Academy from various individuals.
He also tendered evidence of bank loans obtained from Zenith Bank and First Bank, with which he developed the institution.
He pleaded with the members of the House of Assembly to be objective in their deliberations and promised to be more committed to the party and the people of the state.
During the investigation of the allegations against the deputy governor, the house denied receiving N100 million bribe from Governor Danbaba Suntai to remove his deputy.
However, there are indications that the removal of the deputy governor is the fallout of a strained relationship between Suntai and some influential citizens of the state
The deputy governor had been accused of diverting a Millennium Development Goals project to his private school, Yagai Academy, which houses his other business ventures like Yagai Water, Yagai Printing Press and Yagai Restaurant, acts which the house of assembly described as “gross misconduct.”
The house of assembly said locating the MDG ICT Centre and sinking motorised boreholes in Yagai Academy were unacceptable, as the school was his private venture and members of the public could not access them.
They also alleged that Danladi used his influence to acquire “a large expanse of land in Jalingo on which he built Yagai Academy (together with all other multi million naira business ventures sited therein like Yagai Water, Yagai Printing Press and Yagai Restaurant), an institution which is worth about N1 billion.
The lawmakers said his total emoluments as a deputy governor could not justify such investments, adding that he had breached the code of conduct for public office-holders which requires that he shows transparency in the act of governance.
He was also accused of undue interference in the postings and transfers of indigenes of his local government area, Karim Lamido, and working against the interests of other stakeholders of the local government area.
Responding to the lawmakers’ allegations, Danladi said the Yagai Cybercafe was an initiative of a member of the House of Representatives and its current Chief Whip, Ishaka Bawa, representing Wukari/Ibi federal constituency.
Danladi said the project was carried out by MDGs Projects for Yagai Academy, noting that the school did not request or solicit for either in writing or orally.
He said the MDGs office put its logo on the projects as a confirmation of its contribution to the development of the school, adding that Yagai, as a profit-making venture, could sink a borehole from its profits.
He added that the contract for solar lights at Yagai and street lights were not awarded by his office, adding that all the contracts were awarded by the state government after being subjected to due process.
He also said his office was not assigned the responsibility of monitoring and supervising the contract and he could not be held responsible for the diversion of such projects.
Danladi also presented a document to show how he acquired and built the Yagai Academy from various individuals.
He also tendered evidence of bank loans obtained from Zenith Bank and First Bank, with which he developed the institution.
He pleaded with the members of the House of Assembly to be objective in their deliberations and promised to be more committed to the party and the people of the state.
During the investigation of the allegations against the deputy governor, the house denied receiving N100 million bribe from Governor Danbaba Suntai to remove his deputy.
However, there are indications that the removal of the deputy governor is the fallout of a strained relationship between Suntai and some influential citizens of the state
FG Set To Demolish Buildings Along Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Road In Abuja
The director of the Department of Development Control,
Abuja Metropolitan Management said in a news conference yesterday that
the department will soon begin the demolition of illegal estates along
the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road, Abuja.
The department last Saturday demolished 100 illegal buildings belonging to the Nigerian Prisons Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and Liberty Estate, in Kyami District along the Airport Road.
The director said the developers ignored the various ‘stop work and quit notices’ served on them and the department had no alternative than to pull down the structures, many of which were at advanced levels.
The department last Saturday demolished 100 illegal buildings belonging to the Nigerian Prisons Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and Liberty Estate, in Kyami District along the Airport Road.
The director said the developers ignored the various ‘stop work and quit notices’ served on them and the department had no alternative than to pull down the structures, many of which were at advanced levels.
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