Education

EU-Funded Shs1.64Bn Project to Equip Over 3,000 Accounting Students in Uganda,Nigeria with Real-World Skills

Published

11 months ago

October 15, 2025

At least 3,000 students and academic staff across Uganda and Nigeria are set to benefit from the Developing Employability Skills in Accounting Education (DESIRED) project, a European Union-funded initiative aimed at ensuring accounting graduates are “work-ready” as they enter the labor market.

The project funded up to a tune of shs1.64billion( €400,000) was launched on Tuesday at MAT-Abacus Business School as part of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) Programme.

It brings together universities from Uganda, Nigeria, Portugal, and the Netherlands to integrate Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) into accounting education.

Speaking at the launch, Samuel Ssejjaaka, the project chair, highlighted the critical gap between university training and practical workplace demands.

“The idea is to ensure that when accountants finish their training, they have also acquired enough practical experience to take up jobs. We want them to be work-ready” he said.

He explained that the project will develop a framework for teaching students the real experience of the workplace.

“When we train students here, we train them on standards preparing books of accounts and so forth. But in the workplace, there are many other skills they are required to have, which are not necessarily part of the syllabus.”

Ssejjaaka also emphasized the impact of the project on employability rates among accounting graduates.

“With the funding we have received from the European Union, we can increase the employability of accountants. Right now, about 35% of graduates are not getting employed, and that all has to do with the issue of employability.”

The DESIRED Project will employ internships, case studies, and experiential learning to give students exposure to real workplace scenarios, decision-making, and practical skills.

Twaha Kawaase, a certified accountant and project partner, highlighted the international collaboration underpinning DESIRED.

“We are here to launch a project which brings together countries in Europe – Portugal, Netherlands – and countries in Africa – Uganda and Nigeria – to ensure that accountants coming out of universities are work-ready.”

Kawaase explained the importance of preparing graduates for a changing workplace shaped by technology.

“This is a century where we are talking about artificial intelligence, where machines are trying to replace human beings, but human beings are irreplaceable. Therefore, we need to ensure that accountants are relevant in terms of accounting skills, communication skills, and other soft skills required by employers.”

He also spoke about the role of competency-based training in Uganda and the project’s role in standardizing practical skills.

“Universities must be ready, the training must be ready, and institutions like MAT-Abacus and various universities must ensure that students coming out are competent to work as expected by employers.”

Ayeza Mutegeki, a student at MAT-ABACUS, welcomed the project, highlighting its potential impact on students’ careers.

“I think that it would be very beneficial to every single accounting student. Why? Because of the kind of benefits that it provides in that it integrates work and study.”

She pointed out a major challenge facing students today. “The most common problem we have among students is that we do not have jobs. And why do we not have these jobs? It is because we do not have the expertise.”

Ayeza emphasized how the program could bridge the gap between education and practical work experience.

“Yes, we have studied them. But the reality is that in the workplace, it is not exactly the same scenario. So I believe that this desired program will actually change the course of accounting students and furthermore enhance their education and work standards.”

The project consortium is led by MAT-Abacus Business School (Uganda) and includes Makerere University Business School (Uganda), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Nigeria), Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (Nigeria), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands), and the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Key industry partners include the Uganda Chapter for Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives (UCCSRI) and Sejjaaka, Kaawaase & Co., Certified Public Accountants.

The DESIRED Project seeks to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical skills, strengthen university-industry linkages, and ultimately ensure that graduates are employable and ready to thrive in a competitive labor market.

Source: Nilepost

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Education

How Nigerians can apply for 2027/2028 UK commonwealth scholarship – FG

Published

4 days ago

September 15, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Federal Ministry of Education has invited qualified Nigerian university graduates to apply for the 2027/2028 Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowship Plan, with applications closing on October 20, 2026.

The scholarship notice was shared by the Lagos State Scholarship Board.

The scholarships, which are tenable in the United Kingdom, are available for a one-year taught Master’s programme or doctoral studies of up to three years.

The notice was issued by the ministry’s Department of Scholarship Awards, formerly known as the Federal Scholarship Board, and signed by the Director Overseeing the Office of PSE, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, for the Minister of Education.

According to the notice, applicants for the Master’s category must have a first degree with at least a Second Class Upper Division.

For doctoral studies, applicants are required to possess a relevant Master’s degree in addition to at least a Second Class Lower Division in their first degree.

Applicants for both categories must have secured admission into at least two UK institutions.

Doctoral applicants are also required to provide a supporting statement from a prospective supervisor at their chosen UK institution.

The ministry further listed evidence of participation in the National Youth Service Corps among the eligibility requirements.

The notice stated that the selection process would focus on three key areas.

“Applications will be assessed on Academic merit, Development impact on completion and Quality of Study plan,” it said.

How to apply

The notice said all applications must be submitted through the Electronic Application System.

Applicants are required to register on the EAS portal and complete the application form online.

They must also upload scanned copies of their passport photographs, university academic transcripts, birth certificates and admission letters received from a UK institution listed in the application form.

Completed applications must be submitted online on or before October 20, 2026.

After submitting the application, candidates are required to create a PDF version of the completed form, download and print one hard copy for submission at the interview venue.

The notice said foreign certificates must be accompanied by official translation and evaluation.

It also advised applicants to consider Nigeria’s developmental priority areas relevant to their fields of specialisation when preparing their study proposals.

The priority areas include education; health; economic growth and the private sector; governance and conflict; climate and environment; water and sanitation; engineering; science and technology; food and nutrition; and humanitarian disasters and emergencies.

The ministry also advised prospective applicants to ensure that their proposed studies align with Nigeria’s development needs.

Prospective applicants were advised to consult the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website for further information on the scholarship and selection criteria.

Further enquiries may be directed to the Director, Department of Scholarship Awards, through fsb@education.gov.ng, 09124516750 or 09082454557.

Application portal: https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships-results/?wpv_view_count=13930&wpv-cscukscholarshipcountry=nigeria&wpv_filter_submit=search

Source: punchng.com

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Education

NELFUND: ‘A Child Should Be Able To Graduate Without Being Buried In Debt’ – Atiku Fires Tinubu’s Aide

Published

6 days ago

September 13, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has slammed the Special Assistant on Social Media to President Bola Tinubu, Olusegun Dada, over a remark that he hates NELFUND and wants it cancelled.

It was reports that Dada, in a post via 𝕏, said Atiku does not believe that the child of a nobody should have access to education.

He wrote: “Mr @atiku hates NELFUND and wants to cancel it because he does not believe the children of the poor should have access to education.”

Responding to Dada, Atiku, in a statement through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, via 𝕏 assured that he is not opposed to the education of poor children.

Atiku said he only opposes turning education into a debt trap after the government first allowed fees to skyrocket.

The former Vice President said he wants poor children to graduate without being buried in debt.

The post read, “@DOlusegun, this is simply dishonest. Atiku does not oppose education for poor children. He opposes turning education into a debt trap after the government first allowed fees to skyrocket.

“Imagine a widow selling food by the roadside to send her daughter to university. The government raises the fees beyond what she can afford, then tells the daughter to borrow the money and begin adult life in debt.

“That is not compassion. Atiku’s position is clear: make education affordable again, restore scholarships and grants, and ensure that a child’s future does not begin with a loan burden.

“The child of nobody should not only enter school, that child should be able to graduate without being buried in debt.”

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Education

ASUU threatens nationwide strike over unpaid salaries, agreement

Published

1 week ago

September 11, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has threatened to resume its suspended nationwide strike if the federal government and state governments fail to urgently address outstanding issues affecting university lecturers.

ASUU said it could reactivate the strike “without any further notice” over the incomplete implementation of the December 2025 agreement, payment of the remaining 3.5 months of withheld salaries and non-remittance of billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ salaries.

The union’s position was contained in a statement sent to our correspondent in the early hours of Friday by its President, Christopher Piwuna, after an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council held at the University of Abuja.

ASUU said the December 2025 agreement followed more than eight years of negotiations and struggles but had not been fully implemented by the Federal Government and several state governments.

“Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to FULLY and COMPREHENSIVELY address issues bordering the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics, ASUU-NEC will not accept any blame for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible,” the union warned.

It commended Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and the governments of Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno for commencing implementation of the agreement.

The union said Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa had also pledged to commence implementation in September or October, while warning other states to act before their universities were plunged into an “industrial crisis of monumental proportions.”

On withheld salaries, ASUU acknowledged that the Tinubu administration had paid four of the 7.5 months withheld during the Buhari administration but demanded the immediate release of the outstanding 3.5 months.

“We have consistently acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for paying four (4) out of the withheld salaries. However, leaving out the unpaid balance does not give his government the full credit of a labour-friendly administration,” it said.

ASUU also alleged that pension contributions, cooperative deductions and union check-off dues running into billions of naira had remained unremitted for several months.

The union warned that the combination of unpaid salaries, unremitted deductions and poor implementation of the agreement was threatening industrial peace in the universities.

“In no mistaken terms, ASUU posits that the non- or haphazard implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement by federal and state governments is a recipe for industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities,” it stated.

It urged the Federal Government and state governments to act quickly, insisting that it would not accept responsibility if the suspended strike was reactivated.

“ASUU-NEC resolved to notify all concerned that the Union may activate its suspended strike action without any further notice if the critical issues raised in this release are not speedily addressed,” the union said.

Source: punchng.com

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