Academic Session 2005/2006
First Term AS 2005/06
09.09.2005
16.09.2005
23.09.2005
30.09.2005
07.10.2005
14.10.2005
21.10.2005
28.10.2005
01.11.2005
11.11.2005
18.11.2005
25.11.2005
02.12.2005
Second Term AS 2005/06
20.01.2006
27.01.2006
03.02.2006
10.02.2006
17.02.2006
24.02.2006
10.03.2006
17.03.2006
24.03.2006
31.03.2006
07.04.2006
13.04.2006
Third Term AS 2005/06
12.05.2006
26.05.2006
02.06.2006
09.06.2006
16.06.2006
30.06.2006
07.07.2006
14.07.2006
21.07.2006
28.07.2006
04.08.2006
Academic Session 2006/2007
First Term AS 2006/07
15.09.2006
22.09.2006
06.10.2006
13.10.2006
20.10.2006
27.10.2006
03.11.2006
10.11.2006
17.11.2006
24.11.2006
01.12.2006
08.12.2006
19.01.2007
02.02.2007
09.02.2007
16.02.2007
23.02.2007
02.03.2007
09.03.2007
16.03.2007
23.03.2007
30.03.2007
The final exam is on, and it is well organized and conducted.
04.04.2007
Third Term AS 2006/07
02.05.2007
01.06.2007
15.06.2007
22.06.2007
06.07.2007
13.07.2007
20.07.2007
27.07.2007
Academic Session 2007/2008
First Term AS 2007/08
07.09.2007
14.09.2007
21.09.2007
28.09.2007
05.10.2007
19.10.2007
26.10.2007
02.11.2007
16.11.2007
23.11.2007
30.11.2007
07.12.2007
Second Term of AS 2007/08
11.01.2008
18.01.2008
25.01.2008
01.02.2008
08.02.2008
22.02.2008
29.02.2008
07.03.2008
14.03.2008
19.03.2008
Third Term AS 2007/08
25.04.2008
01.05.2008
09.05.2008
30.05.2008
13.06.2008
27.06.2008
18.07.2008
25.07.2008
For the five days of this week, classes were supervised by Mr Remo Rueppel, a teacher student from the Swiss Zurich University of Teacher Education, who had come to Nigeria together with Mr Linus Frey. Exams started on Wednesday and they are moving on fine. Mr Remo and Mr Linus are both working hard for the progress of the school. We give glory to God as the 2007/08 academic session comes to an end.
Academic Session 2008/2009
12.09.2008
19.09.2008
26.09.2008
21.11.2008
28.11.2008
09.01.2009
16.01.2009
23.01.2009
06.02.2009
13.02.2009
20.02.2009
27.02.2009
06.03.2009
13.03.2009
20.03.2009
27.03.2009
03.03.2009
Third Term AS 08/09
27.04.2009
08.05.2009
Teacher meetings were held and important issues were discussed. Classes went on as usual, about 245 students reported. The teachers and pupils are all active in their duties.
15.05.2009
28.05.2009
05.06.2009
12.06.2009
19.06.2009
26.06.2009
03.07.2009
10.07.2009
18.07.2009
24.07.2009
Academic Session 2009/2010
First Term AS 2009/10
07.09.2009
School resumes today. The cleaning and sweeping exercise was completed, and 75% of the students and pupils were in attendance. The teachers also turned up except for some who couldn’t make it because of reasons beyond their control. In addition to that, Andreas Linus Frey is also presently together with us. Assembly was conducted as usual, and the teachers held their normal beginning of term meeting which was presided by Linus. New teachers were introduced during to the school during the assembly and the day was ended successfully.
11.09.2009
On the 9th of September 2009, Najude Pioneer School had very important guests from Kaduna in the persons of Imam Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye from the Interfaith Mediation Centre. Like last year, they came together with their entire entourage on invitation of Mr Linus Frey. They preached unity among Christians and Muslims, and to accept each other, to show love to one another and thus live together in peace.
21.09.2009
The school is closing for one week due to Sallah break.
02.10.2009
After the Sallah break, the students and pupils really did well in coming back on time, and so the normal activities of the school went on smoothly.
09.10.2009
There was a football game between the teachers and students, and the teachers won with 3:2. On Thursday, there was a quiz competition between Primary 2a and 2b, and Primary 2a came out first with a score of 150 to 140.
16.10.2009
It was reported that on Monday evening, the new secretary, Mr Sylvanus Aniah, lost the school motorcycle, which was the only means of transport. It had been stolen from him when he went out for an errand. Everybody was advised to be on the lookout to find the motorcycle.
23.10.2009
Normal activities were carried out. The only problem was that once again, the borehole pump had problems. This disturbed the learning of the pupils in the classes because the children had to go far in search of water. The person to repair the borehole has been informed, and he is scheduled to come to the village next week.
30.10.2009
On the 29th, there was a quiz competition between classes 2a (the winner of the last quiz) and Primary 3, and Primary 3 came out as the winner. There was also teacher refresher course, with Mr Sylvanus Aniah and Mrs Angelina Tanko being the teachers of the day.
05.11.2009
Normal school activities were carried out.
13.11.2009
The second continuous assessment test started on Monday and will continue till next week. Today, there was a football match between Najude Pioneer School and the Kuya Secondary School with Kuya emerging as the winner.
20.11.2009
Normal weekly activities were going on.
25.11.2009
The school has entered revision week in preparation for the 1st term examinations. For the next two days, the school will close due to public holidays, marking the Muslim festival Eid al-Kabir.
04.12.2009
There was an inter-house competition and all the students and pupils from various houses participated actively. The examinations started on the 02.04.09 and will continue till next week.
11.12.2009
The games are over and the D-day has come: Results were announced and gifts presented to those students who scored 1st, 2nd and 3rd position. We give God the glory for bringing us to the end of the term successfully.
Second Term AS 2009/10
11.01.2010
Today, the school opened for the 2nd term of the academic session 2009/2010. Almost all the teachers, students and pupils resumed today except for some who due to some reasons beyond their control were not able to come back. Sweeping and cleaning the classes and school premises were done. A roll call was made and it was announced that those students and pupils who didn’t come back without having a genuine reason will be punished.
15.01.2010
Normal classes started on Wednesday, but the school is still facing the water problem, because the borehole has still problems. The children waste a lot of their time fetching water for the teachers from far away wells, and by so doing most of them get tired and the lessons don’t interest them again.
05.02.2010
On Monday, being the 1st of February 2010, two new teachers and a nurse were introduced in the assembly: They are Ezekiel James, Samuel Macaulay and Nafisat Abdulalaziz. Also that same morning, Mr Marok Caleb Dodo announced that he was leaving the school to further his education at Ahmadu Bello University, and that he will come back after he has finished.
Many parents were troubling the school because they want to sign the undertaking letter proving their support for their wards to be given worm treatments, which will start from next week. They were being attended to by the school nurse. The school also held the 2010 orientation for the new students and pupils in order to educate them on the rules and regulations guiding the school. Also, the newly elected prefects were reminded of their respective responsibilities.
12.02.2010
On Monday, being the 7th of February 2010, the first CA test started and it will continue till next week. On Wednesday, Mr. Linus Frey and a medical doctor by the name of Dr. Alex arrived at the school. The teachers and the students and pupils and some parents welcomed them. We were very excited because they came for the purpose of carrying out a research on the infection rate with intestinal worms among the pupils and the effects on their well being. Also, all the infected pupils, students and teachers will be treated for free, which is also part of the study. The students and pupils were asked to collect containers from the school nurse which will be used to collect samples of their stool for the research project.
19.02.2010
Mr Linus is coming to the school every morning, and then he returns to Ahmadu Bello University, where he and Dr. Alex are collaborating with the Department of Community Medicine on this study. Several meetings were held with him during the week.
25.02.2010
Drugs were given to the students and pupils who were infested with worms. In fact, according to WHO standards, all the pupils of NPS were de-wormed because of the high rate of infection. Only the children of the parents who didn’t sign the undertaking were not treated.
A lecturer from ABU Zaria came to supervise the principal who was doing her teaching practice at the school.
05.03.2010
Normal class and activities.
12.03.2010
During this week, the second round of drugs was administered to the pupils and students to complete the de-worming treatment.
Primary 1 and 2 were shown educational films as part of their education. The new subject Computer Studies was introduced to all the classes with the exception of Primary 1 and 2. There was also debate competition between JSS 2 and 3 on the topic „Are Science and Technology evil to the Society?“ At the end, JSS 3, who was opposing the motion, emerged as the winner.
18.03.2010
On Tuesday, the 16th of March 2010, the school went for an excursion to the Millenium Park in Abuja, the largest public park of the capital city. It was a very successful and wonderful excursion and everybody came back safely.
26.03.2010
The 2nd term examinations started on Monday, the 22.03 and ended today Friday.
31.03.2010
The end of the second term came to and end today. The principal made sure that the school was kept in order before everybody left for holidays.
Third Term AS 2009/10
07.05.2010
The term began on the 03.05.2010. There was public holiday on Monday (Workers’ Day) and Thursday (Day of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria). Due to this the school was on for three days only. All the teachers were present except for Malam Nuhu Dahiru and some of the pupils who reported ill.
14.05.2010
The normal school activity went on successfully. The school conducted interviews for the recruitment of new teachers and this exercise lasted for two days. The school employed five new teachers and they resumed work immediately. Today, the school planted trees which will serve as wind breakers and will give shade.
21.05.2010
There were games and fetching of water by the pupils. There were classes throughout the week except on Tuesday because the teachers went to Zaria to see the Mr Ernest Huegli for a brief meeting and so it was declared a free day.
26.05.2010
The school was opened for three days due to public holidays on 27th (Children’s Day) and 29th (Democracy Day). All school activities were carried out successfully.
18.06.2010
Registration exercise started on Monday and will continue till 25.06.2010. The parents turned up for this exercise till the week came to an end.
25.06.2010
The registration exercise will be rounding up today. There was a quiz competition between class 1A and 2A in which 2A emerged as the winner. The borehole has broken down again and so the pupils go as far as Dogon Awo , Kuya, ’Yanyalo and Unguwar Kurmi in search of water.
02.07.2010
This week the successful students are being registered and given admission into Primary 1. The parents of the successful students are responding positively concerning the buying of uniforms and paying of school fees. The school is making preparation towards the send forth of the present JSS3 students which we hope will be on the 27th of this month. All the houses are preparing school drama, marching, debate, fashion parade etc. the JSS3 students have finished their exams on Wednesday, the 20.06.2010 and went home to wait for the D-Day.
16.07.2010
The weekly activities were carried out successfully. The final registration for the admitted students ended today.
23.07.2010
This week, the school could once again welcome Mr Linus Frey from Switzerland. And he didn’t come alone, but along with him came Ms Nadja, the second teacher student from the Swiss Zurich University of Teacher Education to do her practical at Najude Pioneer School. Nadja has been teaching in different classes, and during holidays, she will hold a workshop for the teachers’ further education. All in all, she will be staying for one month. Meanwhile, the end of the term is fast approaching as the school started revision on Monday. Exams started on Thursday and are still going on presently. The unitary exam for JSS1 and 2 started on Tuesday and is still going on.
30.07.2010
The school has come to the end of the vacation week. Exams ended on Wednesday and marking and computing of results took place successfully. The school vacated on Friday with a send forth celebration for the JSS3 students.
13.08.2010
The school organized a two weeks workshop for the teachers. Ms Nadja and Linus coordinated the whole exercise. Ms Nadja taught the teachers a lot of things which will help them in their careers, and the teachers were very grateful to her. Today marks the end of the exercise and the school organized a send forth party in honour of Ms Nadja. We wish her a safe trip back to her country.
Academic Session 2010/2011
06.09.2010
The resumption date coincided with Sallah break and so throughout the week there was a break.
13.09.2010
The school resumed fully on Monday, the 13.09.2010 with twelve teachers present: Ms Nonye Ndonye, Mrs Obiageli, Mrs Maureen, Ms Monica, Ms Nafisat, Mr Tersoo, Mr Ezekiel, Mr Salisu, Mr Lukman, Mr Macaulay, Mr Akpan and the Principal, Mrs Rita Muolokwu. The first and second days of resumption were used for sanitation. On Wednesday was revision and on Thursday normal classes started. The remaining teachers reported before Thursday. Everyone reported back to school safely and in good health.
12.11.2010
There was debate competition between Primary 6 and JSS1 and the topic was „Should corporal punishment be abolished?”, and JSS 1 emerged as the winner.
19.11.2010
On Thursday and Friday, revision took place. Mr Ernest Huegli paid a visit to the school in order to investigate the area in which the new automatic borehole will be constructed. This automatic water pump will immensely benefit the pupils and the teachers. Lack of water when the borehole had problems was seriously affecting school activities.
26.11.2010
The end of term examinations started on Thursday and they are still in progress.
03.12.2010
Today, the 1st term of AS 2010/11 comes to an end. The examinations ended on Wednesday, the 01.12.2010. The marking and computation of results and other activities were carried out successfully. As normal, prices were given to the outstanding students
Second Term AS 2010/11
10.01.2011
The school resumed today with only six teachers being present: The Principal Mrs Rita Muolokwu, Mr Lukman, Mr Akpan, Mr Ezra, Mr Salisu, Ms Nafisat and Mr Samuel, who reported late at around 11am. The students that came were very few in fact not more than a quarter of the normal population. The act of tidying up the environment was done and there was also a teacher meeting in which crucial matters were discussed.
17.01.2011
All the teachers were present except Mr Oscar whose mother was admitted into the hospital.
19.01.2011
The school was opened for just two days due to the compulsory public holidays declared by the Federal Government because of the ongoing electoral registration.
31.01.2011
Today, the school reopened afresh because the election holiday has finally ended. All the staffs reported back to school except the Principal who took leave to Zaria in order look for admission for the new scholarship students at St. Bartholomew, Wusasa.
04.02.2011
The school’s normal activities were in full force. Two teachers lost their mother on Monday night and they left the school to attend the burial. The teachers will pay a condolence visit to them coming Saturday. We pray for her gentle soul to rest in perfect peace, Amen.
11.02.2011
The school had supervisors from Kaduna this week. They came to inspect the school in order to approve it as a center for Junior Secondary School Examination. They came on Wednesday, the 09.02.2011. And Mr Ernest Huegli was also here on Thursday, the 10.02. 2011 to supervise the construction of the automatic water pump and also the welfare of the school.
18.02.2011
The first test started on Monday, the 14.02.2011 and will last till next week. The school activities are all moving on fine.
25.02.2011
The school was opened for four days because Monday was declared a free day by the school to enable the teachers to pay a condolence visit to Mrs Maureen who sadly lost her son on Sunday. It was very sad news and a great shock to everybody. We pray for his gentle soul to rest in perfect peace, Amen. Also, one of the teachers got sick and fainted in his room. He was rushed to the hospital at Makarfi where he was admitted and received treatment. Although the week was filled with sad news, lessons still took place.
11.03.2011
On Monday and Tuesday, the school was visited by supervisors from the zonal offices at Anchau and Kaduna for a quality assurance inspection. The second CA test started on Monday and it will be in progress till next week. Other activities of the school were carried out as usual.
25.03.2011
Revision started on Monday, the 21.03.2011. The teachers and pupils are all doing fine.
Third Term AS 2010/11
09.05.2011
The school resumed today with eleven teachers being present. There was a teacher meeting and it went fine. Two thirds of the students and pupils were present. The students tidied up the school and its environments.
13.05.2011
Normal activities of the school commenced on Tuesday. About 85% of the students were present.
26.05.2011
Tomorrow Friday, the 27.05.2011, it will be Children’s Day, a national holiday.
03.06.2011
The school was opened for four days because Monday, the 29.05.2011 was declared a public holiday (Democracy Day).
17.06.2011
The registration of new pupils into Primary 1 started on Monday, the 13.06.2011 and the response was high. The exercise lasted for 5 days. A new method of registration was introduced whereby parents must come with the original birth certificate of their children.
24.06.2011
The JSS3 students wrote their Junior WAEC Examination on Monday, the 20.06.2011.
01.07.2011
Normal activities were carried out. The JSS3 examination ended on Wednesday the, 29.06.2011.
08.07.2011
The registration exercise ended today. There was PTA meeting yesterday, being the 07.07.2011.
15.07.2011
The JSS1and 2 exams are in progress and JSS3 students continue with their computer lessons. The primary school exams are fast approaching.
22.07.2011
The promotion exams for JSS1 and 2 have ended and Primary school exams started today. The unitary exams for JSS1 and 2 started yesterday.
29.07.2011
Today, we have reached the end of the AS 2010/11. The examinations ended on Wednesday, and marking and computation of results ended this morning. The sent forth ceremony began by 2:00pm and the occasion was graced with dancing, school drama and songs. Prices were given to the outstanding students and the term came to a successful end.
Academic Session 2011/2012
First Term AS 2011/12
05.09.2011
Today is resumption day and the first day of the first term of the AS 2011/2012. Nine teachers reported back to school: Mrs Nonye, Mrs Obiagli, Ms Uju, Ms Monica, Mr Akpan, Mr Lukman, Mr Tersoo, Mr Ezekiel and Mrs Muolokwu. Quite a good number of students were present and the school opened with a welcoming address and advice by the principal on the assembly ground. The students tidied up the school environment and the principal and Mr Lukman registered the new intakes. At the end of the registration exercise there was a staff meeting which lasted for 45mins. There were no lessons on this first day and the pupils were dismissed at 12pm.
18.11.2011
On the 17th of November the school held its second orientation in order to welcome the new students and pupils to the school and also the enlighten them on the school rules and regulations. Activities like drama, songs and news were presented by the different clubs we have in the school. There also was a small refreshment to grace the occasion.
25.11.2011
A PTA meeting was held on the 24th of November 2011. The election of new officers was successfully conducted.
09.12.2011
Today marks the end of the first term of the AS 2011/2012. A lot of prices were given out to students and pupils who merited them. The teachers and the non-teaching staff celebrated their end of year party.
Second Term AS 2011/12
16.01.2012
Today is the resumption day and the beginning of the second term in the AS 2012/2013. There was cleaning and tiding up of classrooms and the school surroundings by the students and pupils with the teachers supervising them.
10.02.2012
Eid al-Kabir was celebrated on the 6th of February 2012, being a national public holiday.
18.02.2012
Mr Linus Mai Gidan Zaki is presently staying with us for two weeks. During his stay, he is organizing and supervising a lot of work, such as the maintenance and renovation of the old teachers’ quarter, the painting of the new library and community hall building, including an art drawing on the outside wall, the installation of a new television set in the school hall and many others things. On Monday, the 13th February 2012, Mr Huegli came to the school with a Nigerian visitor from Benin who is residing in Switzerland and who also is a member of the Friends of Najude Pioneer School in Switzerland. His name Mr. Robert Ogieva. He came to see the progress of the school and he was very happy with us. Mr Linus went back to Switzerland on the 17th of February 2012.
23.03.2012
The second term exams started on Wednesday, the 21st of March 2012 after two days of revision. There was inter-house sport on Tuesday in which the houses participated wonderfully.
30.03.2012
The exams ended on Wednesday, and marking and computation of results were being done. The term came to an end today, the 30th of March 2012.
Third Term AS 2011/12
30.04.2012
The third term resumes today, being the 30th of April 2012. All the teachers and about 80% of the students were present. There was a public holiday on the 1st of May 2012, being the workers day. Teacher meetings were held on Monday and Thursday. Termly activities were drawn and normal classes started immediately.
18.05.2012
On the 15.05.2012, the school made an excursion to the School of Veterinary Medicine at ABU Zaria, which was a very interesting trip for the pupils and the teachers. A lot of pictures were being taken.
01.06.2012
Two new staff members were employed today: Mr Ezra Maikasuwa, the new clinic nurse, and Mr Nuhu Ishaya, the new Primary 2 class teacher. There were national holidays on 27th and 29th of May to mark the Children’s Day and Democracy Day.
15.06.2012
The school elected new prefects that will serve the school for the period of one year. The old ones are now preparing for their forth coming examination. There was also inter-class quiz competition between Primary 1A and 1B, with Primary 1A emerging as winner.
22.06.2012
There was a PTA meeting on Thursday, the 21.06.2012. Registration into Primary 1 started on Monday, the 18.06.2012. There were tensions in Zaria and most of the teachers who went for weekend didn’t come back because of the curfew imposed by the military.
29.06.2012
There was a labour exercise on Monday.
13.07.2012
There was a very interesting drama presentation on Thursday by the drama club, and for the first time, they did their drama on the new stage in the community hall. The CA tests started on Monday and will continue till next week. The was a debate competition on Thursday between the Primary 5 boys and Primary 6 girls, also on the new stage in the community hall. The topic was „What a man can do, a woman can do better“.
27.07.2012
Exams started on the 18th and ended on the 24th of July 2012. There was inter-house sport to mark the end of term academic session. Bishop Lamido of Wusasa paid a visit to the school just to see how we are doing and also to see his church. Today marks the end of the Academic Session 2011/12, and everybody is going for holidays.
Academic Session 2012/2013
First Term AS 2012/13
05.09.2012
The first term resumes today. All the teachers resumed, except the ones on the LVT program at ABU Zaria. Only few pupils resumed back to school because the resumption date was in the middle of the week.
14.09.2012
All the students and pupils have resumed. Registration for JSS1 is ongoing. A new teacher in the person of Mr Chidozie Onyekaba reported today. He is the new Primary 6 teacher.
21.09.2012
Many parents were coming to buy text books and writing material, and they are also paying their children’s school fees.
05.10.2012
Orientation was organized for the new students and pupils, and also for the new prefects. The rules and regulations guiding the school were read and explained to the pupils and students. The school also educated the students on career guidance and a lot of activities were organized, which made the occasion very colourful. The new teachers Ms Eucheria Okoye and Mr Marok Dodo did report to duty. Eucheria will be in Primary 5 to replace Samuel Macaulay while Mr Caleb Dodo will be the Primary 1A teacher.
12.10.2012
The first CA test started last week and ended today. We held our weekly meeting on Monday and vital issues that will bring progress to the school were discussed. Last week, we paid Naira 15’000.00 to the Anchau office of the Kaduna State Ministry of Eduction, being the LGA renewal fee for three years for all private schools in Ikara LGA. The receipt has been filed to the official school documents file. The school nurse went to Kano last week to buy drugs for the school’s sick ward and also for the hostel pupils. He bought enough of it. Also, the school has opened a medicine shop, which will help some of the villagers who wish to buy medicine or receive treatment from the school nurse to do so. The school nurse is responsible for it. Any profit realized will be paid into in the school account.
26.10.2012
Sallah break on Friday and Monday was duly observed by the school. The NPS press club is trying its best in educating the pupils and students on socialization. The club is really progressing. The school clinic is moving on very well, and the students and pupils are given a very good treatment. The new medicine shop is in progress, and the villagers are patronizing it. The new library is functioning very well, and the children are really making use of it. We have extended the library to the community hall as discussed with Mr Linus, because the library does not contain all the students and pupils and it really helps us. The LVT teachers have resumed their work, unless Sam and Monica, who will resume on Thursday, 1st of November. All the teachers are doing their best.
06.11.2012
The school organized a send forth party for two of its teachers that had served the school for a period of two years: Mr Oscar Odirinwunne and Mrs Maureen Obodokwe. The NPS Drama Club organized a drama to grace the occasion of the day. Gifts were presented to the celebrants by the principal and the PTA chairman of the school. Food and drinks were served and a lot of snapshots were made. It was a very blissful celebration.
14.11.2012
The activities of this week were carried out successfully. A new camera was bought for the NPS Press Club because of their hard work, and they were using it effectively by snapping a lot of pictures. Very soon, their first report will be uploaded to the NPS website. There was a quiz completion held as one of the term activities of the school. The competition was between classes 4 and 5, and Primary 5 emerged as the winner with 195 points against 175 points. The school has just rounded up her second CA test which was perfectly done. The end of the term is fast approaching so the teachers and pupils are making efforts toward the preparation of the forth coming examination.
23.11.2012
The principal visited the District Head of Auchan (Sarkin Auchan), Barrister Hassan Lawal, together with the teachers. They wanted to confirm if the teachers of NPS are working under his domain, which he confirmed. This means that the school is operating under his protection, and the teachers are included in this protection.
30.11.2012
The first term examinations started on Wednesday, the 28th of November 2012. They will continue till next week. Everything was going on smoothly. Last week, the District Head of Auchan (Sarkin Auchan) did not come to the school as scheduled due some reasons beyond his control. He promised to be here on Sunday, the 2nd of December 2012, and we look forward to welcome him in the school.
07.12.2012
As planned, the District Head of Auchan (Sarkin Auchan), Barrister Hassan Lawal, graced the NPS with his visit on Sunday, the 2nd of December 2012. He advised the villagers that the school is operating under his territory and protection, and that the villagers shall try their best to continue to support and champion the school. He said that the school is a very big opportunity for the whole community, and that they have to make sure it will continue to prosper. He also promised to come back for another meeting with the villagers after holidays. Furthermore, he promised to inform the LGA Chairman and the State Governor about the astounding progress of the school in the past years. He will try to convince them to bring a road and electricity to NPS and the surrounding villages. In his honour, songs, speeches and a drama were presented. The pictures of his visit can be seen on the NPS website. The first term examinations ended on Wednesday. There was an inter-house game competition, and the pupils of the primary school section appeared in their beautiful colourful game wears. The first term of the AS 2012/13 ended today, the 7th of December 2012, and everybody went for holidays. Resumption date for the 2nd term will be on the 7th of January 2013.
Second Term AS 2012/13
11.01.2013
The school resumed for the second term on the 7th of January 2013. Almost all the teachers were present on the 1st day of resumption. But two of them were absent without excuse on the first school day: Marok Caleb Dodo and Pever Isaac Tersoo. Angelina Tanko is still on her three months maternity leave, she is to resume on the first week of February. More than half of the total population of the students and pupils was present on that first day after holidays. The weather was very cold and harsh, but the principal advised everybody to be punctual and hardworking despite the conditions. During the teachers meeting which was held on Monday, the principal warned all the teachers that henceforth, a new law on late coming and being absent from duty without excuse will take effect: Every teacher that comes late has to pay a penalty fee of N 2’000.00. Anything after 07:30 in the morning counts as late coming, which means that 07:31 is late coming. Furthermore, a person who is absent for the day without excuse will pay a penalty fee of N 3’000.00. After cleaning the class rooms and the school compound on Monday, normal lesson started on Tuesday, the 8th of February 2013. During the week, there was a tremendous change in the rate of late coming despite the cold weather.
18.01.2013
Throughout the week, there was no latecoming from the teachers. The students and the pupils were also punctual, and only few of them are still to resume. The school PRO Mr. Lukman will pay them a visit this weekend. Mr Tersoo resumed on Friday, and his reason for not resuming on time was a family problem. The newly elected Ikara LGA chairman Mr Mohammed Dati, who had visited Najude Pioneer School during his campaign tour, has commissioned a new manual borehole for the local community.
25.01.2013
This week, the school was opened for just four days, due to the celebration of Mawlid an-Nabi, the observance of the birthday of prophet Mohammed, which took place on Thursday, the 24th of January 2013. The school also had a visitor in the person of Mr Alex Onyeije. He is a trained engineer working for „Safe Energy Resources”, a solar technology company in Kaduna. He was taking a look at the school compound, since we are planning to install solar panels in order to power the school, the teachers’ quarters, the pupils’ hostel and the automatic water pump, hopefully around October 2013. He highly appreciated the efforts of the Swiss donors toward the development of this remote village. The school has started to collect and arrange all the school books in the library, and we are also planning on buying additional books like novels, nonfiction books etc., so that the pupils will have enough reading material. They are already making use of the library regularly and in high numbers. Also, the school launched the new pool table and the table tennis table , which can be used by the pupils and the teachers. Everybody was very happy, and the teachers and pupils have already started practicing a lot in order to improve their skills, as their will be inter-house and teachers-pupils competitions in the future.
01.02.2013
This week, school activities were going on as usual, and all the teachers were present. Mr. Simon Eka brought some books such as story books and novels as well as a few text books, which will be used to equip the library. Each book comes with several copies, including teacher copies. Since we are looking for new teachers, interviews were conducted. A female teacher has passed the interview, and she will come back next week in order to start with her work. Among other subjects, she will teach business studies. A new satellite television receiver was bought and installed. It is of the latest technology and can even receive HD programmes. The teachers can now also receive and watch the matches of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, hoping Nigeria will win the quarterfinal match against Ivory Coast coming Sunday, and, ultimately, the tournament...
08.02.2013
Our new teacher, Mrs Deborah Ambi, has started work this Monday. She is the new class teacher of Primary 3. There was a quiz competition on Thursday between Primary 5 and Primary 6, and the pupils of Primary 6 emerged as the winners. Mrs Angelina Tanko resumed work on Monday after her three months of maternity leave. She and her baby are sound and healthy, and we thank God for that. On Wednesday, Nigeria won the semifinal against Mali, and we are now hoping and praying that the Super Eagles will also be victorious in the final against Burkina Faso coming Sunday.
15.02.2013
The week started with very good news, as on Sunday, the Super Eagles won their third Africa Cup of Nations championship, so everybody was very happy and proud. The teachers held a meeting to officially welcome the new teacher, Mrs Deborah Ambi. On Wednesday, the examination officer went to Anchau in order to submit the fees for the JSS3 exam registrations. The principal was not in the school on Thursday and Friday, as she went to Zaria to obtain her statement of result at Ahmadu Bello University and also to go to the hospital to receive treatment because she was not feeling fine.
22.02.2013
This week, the school was opened for five days as usual. On Monday and Thursday the teachers held their meetings and vital issues were discussed. The newly formed „NPS Committee for the prevention of sexual harassment and rape“, which consists of three female and two male teachers, has written a first draft of the „Rules and Regulations for the prevention of sexual harassment and rape in NPS“. It has also elected Mrs Angelina Tanko as the „Appointee for pupils’ safety and protection“. In the search of a new Headmaster for the school, a secret ballot was conducted among the teachers. The result is to be revealed next week. The principal told all the teachers to submit their end of the term examination questions as soon as possible. A spelling competition, one for primary school and one for secondary school, will be conducted once a year, with a very special price for the winners, which will be provided by the Management. There is a seminar going on in the school on the topic of HIV/AIDS, organized by the NPS Committee for the prevention of sexual harassment and rape. The program will last four weeks, and it has started on Wednesday, the 20th of February 2013. The program is conducted by the Association for Reproduction and Family Health (ARFH), in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and with support from The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The program coordinator for Auchan district is Mr Bala Isiya, a corps member who is a peer educator. A peer educator is someone with knowledge on a particular issue concerning many and who spreads that knowledge to friends, relatives and people who care to listen. The first day, which marked the beginning of the term long seminar, featured an introductory lecture on the origin of HIV/AIDS, means of transmission of the virus and prevention methods. The next lecture comes up on Wednesday next week, at 3pm.
01.03.2013
On Wednesday this week, the second part of the HIV/AIDS seminar took place, and the occasion was attended by many pupils, just like last week. On Thursday, Mr Sylvanus Aniah was officially appointed as the new Acting Headmaster of NPS, with Mr David Akpan as the Acting Assistant Headmaster, and everybody was happy. They are to start with their work immediately. Mr Linus Frey sent a document in which all the tasks and duties of the Headmaster are specified. As stated there, the overall duty of the H/M and assistant H/M will be to „improve the quality of education in the school, mainly by means of achieving a higher academic and didactical level of teaching, or, in other words, by helping the teachers to improve their classroom performance“. During the same meeting, the final version of the „Rules and Regulations for the prevention of sexual harassment and rape in NPS“ was read to the teachers, and everybody agreed to abide by them. The document will also be translated to Hausa and will be read to the parents and villagers during the extraordinary PTA-meeting next week which has been summoned for this reason. On the same day, there was a school debate between classes JSS2 and JSS3 with the topic „GSM – blessing or curse for society?“ In fact it was real close, but in the end, the JSS3 pupils won the competition by just a few marks. On Friday, the second C.A. test came to and end. The school is really moving forward, and a lot of development is going on, for example concerning the school clubs. Also, a new school camera was provided, so that we can cover all the events happening in the school and send clear pictures to the photo diary on the website. And the new school calendars for 2013 with pictures of Najude Pioneer School were distributed in the faculty lounges and the principal’s office, and they look very nice and make the school to look more matured.
08.03.2013
On Wednesday this week, the ongoing seminar on HIV/Aids continued with the topic „Say no to pre-marital sex“. The new headmaster and his assistant organized a quiz and a spelling and reading competition, and it was very interesting for all the pupils and students. They are also planning to introduce a new school club called „Literature and Debate Club“ with the aim of improving the reading skills of the students and encouraging them to read books on a regular basis. They shall learn that reading novels, non-fiction books and biographies can open up a whole new world for them, and that they can read and learn at home and just for the fun of it, not only during school or when there are upcoming exams. Every Wednesday, the club members will meet and discuss about what they read, thereby also learning how to debate and use sound arguments during a discussion. On Saturday, the press club members will travel to Kauru in order to meet Ishaya Kyauta, the only remaining brother of Najude, the person who founded the village of Unguwar Najude. They will interview him and find out more about the history of this village and its forefathers. Of course, their story about all of this will be published on the website. The second term examinations will start Wednesday next week. The school has decided to start with its first SSSI class in the second term of the ongoing academic session 2012/13. As with all new things, it as a humble beginning: For now, there are only eight pioneer students, all of whom are highly motivated, and their classes take place in the assembly hall. Hopefully, they can move into the new secondary school building during the first term of the academic session 2013/14, when the senior secondary school section of NPS will be officially established. This week, the senior secondary school pioneers received their new school uniforms, and they were very happy.
15.03.2013
This week, the principal, some teachers and some PTA-members went to the Ikara Local Government headquarter to see the chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Alhassan Dati, in order to show him their appreciation for the community borehole he had installed earlier this year. They then seized the opportunity to remind him of the need of a paved road to the village, as well as a connection to the power grid, which he promised to bring during his campaign. He said that he will assist us in anything he can do to make sure the school progresses. Then, the principal presented a NPS school calendar to him, which he can be using in his office. From Monday to Tuesday, the school conducted the end of term revision. The end of term examinations started on Wednesday and will continue till next week. There was PTA meeting on Thursday and many of the parents turned up, in fact only a few of them were missing. Among other things, the documents „Rules and Regulations for the prevention of sexual harassment and rape in NPS“ and „NPS Mediation Committee“, were read to them in Hausa, and they agreed to everything. They were really happy and said that they appreciate the efforts of the school to protect their children. In addition to the normal teacher meetings, a weekly meeting on Tuesday has been introduced by the H/M, during which academic issues and teaching methods will be discussed.
22.03.2013
The end of term examinations continued this week and ended on Wednesday, followed by the computation of results. On Thursday, inter-house sports competitions took place, and various games were played by different participants from various houses. They were given biscuits as refreshment. There was also a football tournament which was won by the Najude house. Today, the term came to an end and there was a general school assembly. During the assembly, the end of the term message was delivered to them by the principal, and she wished them a successful holiday. Prices were issued to students and pupils who made first, second and third position in their various classes. The school vacated at exactly 12:15 this afternoon, and will resume on the 22nd of April 2013.
Third Term AS 2012/13
22.04.2013: Week 01
The following teachers resumed late and had to pay a penalty fee of N 2’000: Marok Caleb Dodo, Angelina Tanko, Samuel Macaulay, Salisu Umar, Ezra Maikasuwa, Daniel Dogara. The Principal was absent throughout the week because her husband had been admitted to hospital. General cleaning was done, and the acting Headmaster Aniah Sylvanus conducted the first assembly, where he formally welcomed both the staff and the pupils back to school for the new term. In his address, the acting Headmaster informed the pupils about the changes in the timetable. One of these changes is that once the general cleaning of the school premises is over, the normal lessons will commence immediately. So even on the first Monday after holidays, the school will close at 4pm, and it will be a normal school day. So the pupils have to come prepared, with their writing materials and books. He also advised them to remain good pupils, to keep working very hard to improve their examination grades and to maintain good conduct in and outside the school. On Tuesday, house assembly took place, and the high academic tempo which was ushered in on the first day of resumption was maintained. The parents were seen in the school premises to pay their children’s school fees to the bursar’s office. On Thursday, the NPS press club had their meeting in preparation to Friday’s press release. This time it was to welcome the students and pupils back to school and also to remind them of their responsibilities as staff and students.
03.05.2013: Week 02
During the week, the acting Headmaster and his assistant held a very successful meeting with the parents of the NPS scholarships holders, who are residing in Zaria. The acting H/M is now officially in charge of the NPS scholarship section in Zaria and will take care of all academic problems there, as well as others. The decisions reached from this meeting are as follows: Boarding uniforms are to be introduced and to be worn by all the students at all times inside and outside the hostel. For security reasons, they are no longer allowed to leave the hostel alone. Furthermore, the students shall always bring their report sheets to their parents. The parents also unanimously agreed to the target of average scores of 60% to be reached by all the students. And lastly it was concluded that there shall be at least one meeting per term in the future. This week, the prep classes for the hostel pupils in Najude finally took of. From Monday to Thursday from 5pm to 7pm, they can now use the library to study their books and do their homework. During this time, they are being supervised by a teacher, which will greatly help them with their studies. With the solar array to be installed later this year, there will be enough electricity for them to stay even longer, and they will also be allowed to use the library laptops. The school clubs have been informed that each of them is to come up with a club photo of all its members, and to write a club constitution, stating the aims and functions of the club. The agriculture club has been given the task to work out a plan on how to develop and build a school kitchen and a chicken farm. Hopefully, they will also be built later this year, along with the school farms and a room for the grinding machine which will be purchased to generate some income for the school. Also, the first teacher refresher course of this term took place on Thursday, in which teachers prepare lessons and deliver them to the faculty. The topics treated this time were basic English grammar and education studies. All the school activities went on fine, and the week came to a successful end.
10.05.2013: Week 03
The Principal came back to school on Tuesday after being absent for two weeks, during which she was on leave to take care of her husband who was hospitalized at ABU Teaching Hospital, Shika, for three weeks. He was discharged on Thursday this week as his condition has finally improved. She was very happy to find the school in a perfect condition, as the Headmaster and the other teachers took care of everything perfectly. The collection of the school fees is still going of successfully. The members of the agricultural club held their meeting last week to discuss about this year’s farming since the rainy season has arrived. They have cleared their farming site and are now waiting for the rain. The press club has equally started its activities, as they presented their news, songs and advertisement. Other clubs are yet to resume their activity for the term. The school opened for 5 days, and all activities were fully observed. Teachers held their weekly meetings as usual, and vital issues were discussed.
17.05.2013: Week 04
On Tuesday, the school was visited by supervisors from the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Anchau Divisional Headquarters, Ikara LGA. Their area of interest this time was the quality of education and the management of the school. Among other things, they were looking at the school’s log book, the school register, the minute book of the teacher meetings and the minute and record books of the school clubs. The teachers held their normal weekly meetings which usually take place on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. They discussed about introducing one meeting per term, during which issues concerning the school clubs and committees are to be discussed. During this additional meeting, the chairmen of the committees and the club and house masters are to give a progress report about the strength and the activities of their group, which will enable them to move alongside with the school.
24.05.2013: Week 05
The fifth week of the AS 2012/13 came with a lot of positive changes in the school. For the first time, all the teachers who have been collecting teaching aid materials were asked to present them for scrutiny: Mr Samuel Macauley prepared four cardboard sheets showing the skeletal system, the respiratory system, the organs of the body and the human lungs. Mr Isaac Tersoo collected two cardboards prepared by the pupils of the school’s art club. One of them is showing wild animals, the other one flowering plants. Meanwhile, Ms Eukeria Okoye made four teaching aids for her Home Economics classes. And Ms Monica Johnson also uses teaching aids in her classes. The submission of lesson notes and lesson plans to the academic officers in the school has by now become a tradition. The school’s examination officer Mr Tersoo Isaac chose the following teachers to set the forthcoming common entrance questions: Mr Chidozie Onyekaba, Mr Samuel Macauley and Mrs Obiageli Peters. On Wednesday, an academic meeting was held in the school conference hall in order to enable the teachers of NPS to brainstorm on new ideas that will allow the school to reach an ever higher level of academic excellence. Some of the topics discussed were the need for teachers to identify their learners based on their individual capabilities, the need for diversification of teaching methods, the introduction of regular class work and home work, allowing pupils to find their own solution to a given problem and the checking of pupils’ notes, among other things. Finally, the teachers also fine tuned ideas on how to host the forthcoming academic event which will feature a speech and prize giving, a debate competition and a big spelling competition, an award for the most hardworking teachers in both primary and secondary sections as well as performances and presentations by various school clubs. The NPS teachers’ refresher course was held, during which Mrs Obiageli Peters treated verbs, while Mr Bitrus Zachariah took care of the different roles of a teacher. On Tuesday, the Headmaster Mr Aniah Sylvanus attended a national sensitization workshop organized for the English language teachers by the Kaduna State Ministry of Education. Together with Mr Lukman Magaji, the school’s public relation officer, he also went on a familiarization visit to Redemption College Zaria, where many of the NPS scholarship pupils are schooling. During the visit, the two officers had a chat with the schools’ principal and the form masters of the students. They were pleased to hear that all the NPS pupils have a great character, that they are disciplined and respectful, and that they are giving their best in their respective classes. On Friday, the Headmaster addressed the pupils on the need to embrace their books and to be disciplined and respectful and that the additional school lessons in the newly implemented time table are for their own benefit.
31.05.2013: Week 06
So far, the sixth week was the shortest of all weeks covered in this term. It was Children’s Day on Monday and Democracy Day on Wednesday, so the school authority decided to add Tuesday to the conventional public holidays. That is to say school was held only two days in this week. The following activities were observed: The Headmaster checked the notes of the class six pupils in all the subjects to see how often class and home work are administered to them by their teachers, hence this forms the basis of a quality education. In addition, there was classroom supervision and pictures of some of the teachers were taken while teaching. The following teachers didn’t return to the school after the public holidays: Mr David Akpan was excused because of the ill health of his son. Mr Isaac Musa and Mr Marok Caleb Dodo were absent or came late without an excuse and have to pay the usual penalty fee of 2’000 Naira. The prep classes for the boarding students went on as usual. And Mrs Deborah Ambi is presently on her maternity leave after having given birth to a baby boy last week. Congratulations!
07.06.2013: Week 07
During the seventh week of the third term of AS 2012/13, many stimulating academic activities took place: David Akpan did some practical work with his pupils in his computer class in JSS 1 by grouping the students into groups of four, each of them working with one of the school laptops. Peter Yohana took his pupils on an excursion to the staff quarters and showed them how water is being transported through the pipes, from the automatic water pump to the water tank. On Thursday, there was a quiz competition between Primary 1A and 1B. Class 1A emerged victorious in the contest with 202 against 140 points. The quiz actually took a new dimension as the monotonous way of merging all the question together was changed. This time, it was done subject by subject. We also had the NPS teachers’ refresher course where the art teacher Isaac Samuel Musa taught creative art and its subdivisions, while Eucheria Okoye, the home economics and agriculture teacher, took the subject of the needs and wants of the family. By discussing with the teachers and observing their work, the Headmaster found the following academic problems still persisting in the school: Most pupils take notes without dates, some teachers sit on top of the table while teaching, some forget to write the subject and topic on the board, some teachers prefer talking to writing on the chalkboard, some don’t allow the pupils to talk enough, and most of them have less time for class work, home work and even correction after exercise. So after having spotted these problems, these issues will be addressed in Tuesday’s academic meeting next week and in the following meetings. By openly addressing these problems and steadily improving the classroom performance of the teachers, we continue the pursue the goal of academic excellence in NPS. Lukman Magaji, Salisu Umar and Monica Johnson prepared teaching aids this week. Bitrus Zacharia had all his Primary 2 pupils to recite the multiplication table in front of the class. The school’s football team trained throughout the week. There was also a teacher orientation on some of the future aims of NPS, such as the use of modern records and class diaries. There is also a plan to create a forum where Primary 1, 2 and 3 pupils would meet to compete individually in rhymes and multiplication table questions, which should be done in the school's multipurpose hall.
14.06.2013: Week 08
This week, the Junior Secondary School 3 students commenced writing their Junior Secondary School Certificate Examinations, which will end next week. The school began the admission process for the 2013/2014 primary 1 classes with the registration of potential candidates on Monday, 10th of June 2013. The registration exercise ended on Friday. For the first time in NPS history, two Fulani girls were admitted into the school, which can safely be called a milestone. So far, the Fulani families only sent their male children to the school. After years of educating the Fulani families on the importance of sending their daughters to school as well, the efforts of the school PRO Mr Magaji were finally rewarded. Hopefully, this will be an example to other Fulani families around the school, and next year others will follow. The NPS sport club members have been training regularly, especially the football club. They will face their opponents from a Makarfi school on Thursday, 20th June 2013 on the NPS Sport field. Throughout the week, the NPS drama club and the literature and debate club held their separate meetings. The drama club is rehearsing a play which they are about to present. On Thursday, the teachers held orientation and a workshop. The workshop was organized by the academic officers of the school in order to discuss modern teaching methods, the preparation of lesson plans and notes, the computation of exams, the use of a school diary and the making of class registers. During the week, classes JSS2 and SSS1 commenced their debate lessons as recommended by the Kaduna State Ministry of Education. Class JSS2 discussed about education versus riches, while class SSS1 debated on communism versus capitalism. During the assembly, the recent death of the composer of the Nigerian National Anthem was announced to the pupils and one minute of silence was observed in his honour. A lot of the JSS3 students purchased the novels recommended to them by their English Literature teacher, which is very encouraging. A lot of the Najude villagers’ animals died during the last few weeks. So far, two cows and five goats have been lost. The cause of this is yet to be uncovered. Meanwhile, a period of drought has forced farmers in the region to fetch water from their houses to water their young crops, and it’s a very critical situation.
21.06.2013: Week 09
The ninth week of the ongoing term witnessed a very interesting inter-school football match between the football team of Success Academy Makarfi and the team of Najude Pioneer School. Before the game began, the Nigerian national anthem was sang as a symbol of unity. The game finally ended with a draw of 2-2. Also, the first NPS secondary school spelling competition started on Wednesday, the 19th of June: First, all the classes wrote a dictation test which was marked by the spelling competition committee. After that, four students were selected for each class to compete in the next round, which made a total of sixteen participants. Amongst them were seven girls and nine boys. After the second round, which was held in the school’s multipurpose hall, four students qualified for the final which is billed for Thursday next week. The students of the Literature and Debate Club had their first presentation during Wednesday’s general assembly. A poem was written and recited by the club. The Drama Club held rehearsals and the Press Club presented news as usual during Friday’s general assembly. Furthermore, the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examinations ended, and the JSS3 students have again commenced their lessons in preparation for the internal examinations. Finally, on Tuesday the headmaster and the public relations officer visited Amos Kefas, one of the NPS scholarship who is schooling in Therbow School, Zaria. They had the possibility to meet with the different subject teachers and took some pictures with Amos. They are now familiar with all the schools in which the scholarship students are schooling, so the next and final set of scholarship holders will be sent to the same schools.
28.06.2013: Week 10
During the Wednesday general assembly this week, the NPS Literature and Debate Club presented a poem to the pupils, students and teachers of the school. It was titled „Wonderful creation“ and was read by Ahmadu Aliyu, one of the new scholarship holders. The registration of newly admitted NPS pupil was completed with the payment of the registration fees, and the new pupils, 48 in number, are to commence school after the summer break in September 2013. Throughout the week, members of the art club were drawing the portraits of past and present heroes. This week, the final of the NPS 2013 spelling competition took place in the multipurpose hall of the school. The winner of the competition was Ladi Goma from SSS1, and she came up with 36 points. Congratulations to her, and well done! After the spelling competition, the NPS teacher’s refresher course was held, during which Mr Lukman Magaji and Mr Chidozie Onyekaba delivered their lessons. Lukman delivered a history lesson, where the biography of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, was revealed. Chidozie treated further mathematics and trigonometry. The second continuous assessment of the ongoing term also went on successfully during this week. The members of the NPS Agriculture Club have commenced cultivation of their farm land and are planting new crops. The NPS Sport Club is busy preparing for the second inter-school football match, which will come up next Thursday. And an interview for a new teacher was conducted and Simon Ishaya was employed after having passed the written and oral tests.
05.07.2013: Week 11
In this week’s teachers’ refresher course, Mr Pever Tersoo and Mr Salisu Umar delivered classes on environment studies as part of integrated science and Hausa grammar, respectively. The NPS Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Rape organized their second sensitization seminar, which was held in the multipurpose hall. A trained expert was invited from the General Hospital Makarfi, who spoke on the dangers of unsafe premarital sex and how it can destroy the life of a young woman. The lecture was specifically addressing the pupils and students from Primary 5 to SSS 1. The members of the NPS sport club had their second inter-school football match on Thursday. The match started at 4:30pm and ended with yet another 2:2 draw. The NPS supporters led by Mr Dodo gave a huge support for our team throughout the game. The drama club members are busy rehearsing their next production which is billed to take place next week in the NPS multipurpose hall as part of the end of school year activities. The 2013 set of new scholarship students will write their entrance examinations for their respective schools in Zaria on Saturday, the 6th of July 2013. New prefects have been appointed for the forthcoming academic session 2013/14. The orientation of the newcomers and the handing over ceremony will take place next Monday. Our sport prefect Nuhu Markus is down with a leg injury. He’s expected to take up his position as soon as he recovers. Nuhu is one of the school’s football talents who could make the game his career if duly supported. The school’s public relation officer Mr Magaji has already visited him at home. In the neighbouring village of Kuya, a new Mai Unguwa (village chief) was elected, and his name is Aminu Maigurasa. A car knocked down a big cow along the Kano-Zaria express way. Residents of the area took advantage of the accident and made good meat out of it. In fact even some NPS teachers benefited from it.
12.07.2013: Week 12
The teachers’ refresher course of this week was held on Thursday. Mrs Angelina Tanko and Mrs Deborah Ambi were the teachers of the day. Angelina treated the topic of time management in the classroom while Deborah handled bank savings in accounting. An orientation was organized for the newly elected shadow prefects in the multipurpose hall. It was attended by the following teachers: Angelina Tanko, Lukman Magaji, Pever Isaac Tersoo and Sylvanus Aniah. The duties and responsibilities of each office were being read out and words of advice and encouragement were offered. In addition, henceforth during the general assembly, any prefect on duty will make the announcement and the words of encouragement before the teacher on duty takes charge. The SSS1 students have commenced their promotional examination on Thursday, while the Junior Secondary School students start their own next week on Wednesday. And the NPS common entrance examinations into JSS1 and SSS1 take place on Saturday, the 13th of July. At the very same date, the seven new NPS scholarship students will write their own entrance exams in Zaria. The school’s PTA has donated about 450 cement blocks to the school for the forthcoming construction of the new secondary school building and the new teacher house, scheduled to start in October. Mr Salisu Umar bought a motor bike from the loan the school management granted him, which allows him to carry himself and his children to school in the morning much faster than before. However, it was announced that until the end of the year, there will be no additional loans in order to allow the teachers to pay back the present ones. Earlier this week the local government distributed fertilizers and sacks of rice to farmers. And on Friday last week, some of the NPS students went to visit one of our students who is still down with a bad leg injury. We pray he will soon recover, Amen.
19.07.2013: Week 13
The end of term examinations were in full swing this week. They will end next week, and the school will close for the summer holidays on the 26th of July 2013. The academic officers are busy checking the results. While doing that, they also record the overall class performance for each subject in every class. This will give us an insight into the work of the subject teachers. The Headmaster also crosschecked and put to record the performance of all boarding students because this will enable us to follow their progress more closely. They are expected to perform better than the day students as they spend almost all their time reading. The day students and pupils don’t have that opportunity, because after school they normally have to help their parents in the farm and they don’t have the school facilities at their disposal like the boarding students. As a part of the ongoing academic assessment in the school, some of the club chairmen of the school clubs gave a progress report on their club activities this week: 1) Press Club: The present club chairman Mr Sylvanus Aniah gave a brief history of the club and said it was formed in its present form in 2012. But it existed many years before that, therefore being the oldest of all school clubs. Since that time, the club has developed and prospered in every aspect. Today, the club members are presenting regular weekly news during the general assembly of the school, and they also grant interviews to teachers and pupils. Some of the club’s achievements include an interview with the present chairman of Ikara Local Government during his campaign tour and an interview with Sarkin Auchan, the traditional leader of the area. The club has an English and Hausa department. The pupils and students have written a story about the people of Ungwuar Najude, the village where the school is located. At presently, they are busy writing an article about the history of the village which is yet to be published on the website. The club awards the outstanding members at the end of every academic session with textbooks and other academic materials. The chairman also proudly pointed out that the club has a professional executive structure. 2) Farm Club: In their report, the young farmers gave a brief history of their club and named some of their achievements which include the cultivation of a club garden and the planting of vegetables. There are even some tree crops in the nursery now which will be planted around the school compound. The club chairman Mr David Akpan said that last season they were able to sell their farm produce at the rate of three thousand Naira. He also requested the school authority to help them with fertilizer, water cans and pipes to their farms to enable them to do irrigation farming. 3) Sport Club: The chairman Mr Samuel Macauley enumerated the recent inter school games, which are a huge part of the club’s achievements. He requested the installation of a handball field and volleyball pitch. The other clubs are to give their progress reports next term. During the week, the NPS Junior Secondary School drama was staged. All the plays were solely written by the students, but the English teacher supervised and monitored their rehearsals during last week. In her remark, the Principal Mrs Rita Muolokwu expressed her unlimited joy over the splendid performance of the students and promised refreshment next time. During the week, about nine boarding students fell sick, but they were properly treated by the school nurse Mr Ezra Maikasuwa. Mr Samuel Macaulay bought a motorbike on Wednesday. This brings to number of NPS teachers owning their personal motorbike to a total of eight. Also on Wednesday this week, there was a serious fight among some Fulani people who live in the school’s neighboring village of Kuya. The fight started when two of them worked for a person who wasn’t able to pay them their complete salary on which they had agreed on. They began to beat him up and when the news got to the man’s people they came out to defend him. The two got their own supporters from their houses, and the whole thing turned into a messy fight. Five men were badly injured and are presently receiving treatment in the local infirmary in Kuya. Two of them were arrested by police officers and one person escaped. The man who called the police is Sabo, and he is believed to be a magician. Sabo marries every year, just as he divorces every year. Some people believe that he can turn a stone to bread or that he can turn people into cats.
26.07.2013: Week 14
During this last week of the academic session 2012/13, the teachers were busy marking the exam scripts and computing the results, while the pupils and students were engaged in their club activities. The end of the academic year party was held in the multipurpose hall. The principal Mrs Rita Muolokwu participated in the capacity of the chairperson and the chief guest and held the opening speech. She expressed her joy about the fantastic arrangement of the party and said that this occasion was the first of its kind since the school was established. The party featured speeches from the different school officers and the five club chairmen. There was a short play about politics on the stage, adverts on the importance of reading during holiday and dancing performances. The principal presented gifts to the clubs and the deserving pupils and students. Most of the audience consisted of parents, some of whom came from distant villages to carry their children home for holidays. For the junior secondary school students, an orientation on career guidance was held, where the various science and art subjects were explained to them. They were given a lot of guidance, so that they can make an informed decision on which way to follow once they enter senior secondary school after holidays, which will determine their future academic careers up to tertiary institutions. One of our prolific teachers, Mr Marok Caleb Dodo, was involved in a traffic accident on his way coming back from Kaduna. He sustained a knee injury and is suffering from back pain, but luckily he’s responding to treatment. Four trees were being planted around the school premises: Two of them in front of the multipurpose hall, and two others in front of the primary school buildings that face Kuya Road. On this 26th of July 2013, the academic session 2012/13 has come to and end, and the school closes for summer holidays. School will resume with the academic session 2013/14 on the 9th of September 2013. We wish all the pupils, students and teachers happy holidays!