Promotional examinations

With the introduction of 9-3-4 system of education in Nigeria, students are required to enter secondary school after spending a minimum of nine years of Primary Education and passed a prescribed National Entrance Examination. The students must spend a minimum period of six years in Secondary School. During this period, students are expected to spend three years in Junior Secondary School and three year in Senior Secondary School.^[1]

The General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE) was replaced by the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE). The SSCE is conducted at the end of the Secondary School studies in May/June. The GCE is conducted in October/November as a supplement for those students who did not get the required credits from their SSCE results. The standards of the two examinations are basically the same. A body called West African Examination Council (WAEC) conducts both the SSCE and GCE. A maximum of nine and a minimum of seven subjects are registered for the examination by each student with Mathematics and English Language taking as compulsory.^[1]

A maximum of nine grades are assigned to each subject from: A1, A2, A3 or A1, B2, B3, B4, (Equivalent to Distinctions Grade); C4, C5, C6, or B4, B5, B6, (Equivalent to Credit Grade); P7, P8 or D7, D8, E (Just Pass Grade); F9 (Fail Grade). Credit grades and above is considered academically adequate for entry into any University in Nigeria. In some study programs, many of the universities may require higher grades to get admission.^[1]

The Federal Government policy on education is adhered to by all secondary schools in Nigeria. Six years of elementary school is followed by six years of secondary school. Senior Secondary school consists of the SS I, SS 2, and SS 3 which is equivalent to the 10th, 11th and 12th Grade. The Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) is taken at the end of the SS 3. The West African Examination Council (WAEC) administers both exams. Three to six months after a student has taken the SSCE examination, they are issued an Official transcript from their institution. This transcript is valid for one year, after which an Official transcript from the West African Examination Council is issued. National Examination Council is another examination body in Nigeria Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE)in June/July. The body also administer General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE)in December/January. The students often take both WAEC and NECO examinations in SSS 3. ^[1]

Secondary education

Students spend six years in Secondary School that is 3 years of JSS(Junior Secondary School), and 3 years of SSS(Senior Secondary School). By Senior Secondary School Class 2 (SS2), students are taking the GCE O’Levels exam, which is not mandatory, but most students take it to prepare for the Senior Secondary School Exam. The Senior Secondary School Exam is taken in the last year of high school (SS3). Private organizations, the State government or the Federal government manages secondary schools in Nigeria.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is made up of thirty-six States and the Federal Capital Territory. There are about two Federal Government Colleges in each state. These schools are funded and managed directly by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Education. Teachers and staff are Federal Government employees. Teachers at the Federal Government schools possess a Bachelors degree in Education or in a particular subject area, such as, Mathematics, Physics etc. These schools are supposed to be model schools carrying and maintaining the ideals of secondary education for Nigerian students. Admission is based on merit, determined by the National Common Entrance Examination taken by all final year elementary school pupils. Tuition and fees are very low, approximately one hundred dollars ($100.00), because funding comes from the Federal Government.^[1]

State owned secondary schools are funded by each state government and are not comparable to the Federal government colleges. Although education is supposed to be free in the majority of the state owned institutions, students are required to purchase books and uniforms costing them an average of two hundred dollars ($200.00). Teachers in State owned institutions usually have a National Certificate of Education or a Bachelors Degree. Often these schools are understaffed due to low state budgets, lack of incentives and irregularities in payment of staff salaries.^[1]

Private secondary schools in Nigeria tend to be quite expensive with average annual fees averaging from One to Two thousand dollars ($1000.00 - $2000.00). These schools have smaller classes (approximately ten to fifteen students per class), modern equipment and a better environment. Teachers in these institutions all possess at least a Bachelors in a specific course area and are sent for workshops or short term programs on a regular basis.^[1]

Primary Education

Primary education begins at the age of six for the majority of Nigerians. Students spend six years in primary school and graduate with a school-leaving certificate. Subjects taught at the primary level include mathematics, English language, Islamic knowledge studies, Bible knowledge, science and one of the three main native ethnic groups (Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo). Private schools would also offer computer, science, French, and art. Primary school students are required to take a Common Entrance Examination to qualify for admission into the Federal and State Government schools. The UBE came as a replacement for Nigeria’s universal primary education scheme of the 6-3-3-4 system of primary education. The 9-3-4 system of education was designed in conformity with the MDGs and education for all (EFA) (Kayode, 2006). The UBE involves 6 years of primary School and 3 years of junior secondary school, culminating in 9 years of uninterrupted schooling, and transition from one class to another is automatic but assessed through continuous assessment. This scheme is monitored by the universal basic education commission (UBEC), and has made it free and a right of every child. Therefore, the UBEC law section 15 defines UBE as early childhood care and education. The law stipulates a 9-year formal schooling, adult literacy and non-formal education, skill acquisition programmes and the education of special groups such as nomads and migrants, girl child and women, Al-majiri, street children and disabled group (Aderinoye, 2007). ^[1]

Reading skills

You are expected to do much more reading at university than at school or college; it's not called ‘reading for a degree' for nothing. Here are five tips to help you improve your reading: 1. Styles of reading 2. Active reading 3. A tip for speeding up your active reading 4. Spotting authors' navigation aids 5. Words and vocabulary
	1. Styles of reading There are three styles of reading which we use in different situations: Scanning: for a specific focus The technique you use when you're looking up a name in the phone book: you move your eye quickly over the page to find particular words or phrases that are relevant to the task you're doing. It's useful to scan parts of texts to see if they're going to be useful to you: the introduction or preface of a book the first or last paragraphs of chapters the concluding chapter of a book. Skimming: for getting the gist of something The technique you use when you're going through a newspaper or magazine: you read quickly to get the main points, and skip over the detail. It's useful to skim: to preview a passage before you read it in detail to refresh your understand of a passage after you've read it in detail. Use skimming when you're trying to decide if a book in the library or bookshop is right for you. Detailed reading: for extracting information accurately Where you read every word, and work to learn from the text. In this careful reading, you may find it helpful to skim first, to get a general idea, but then go back to read in detail. Use a dictionary to make sure you understand all the words used.
	2. Active reading When you're reading for your course, you need to make sure you're actively involved with the text. It's a waste of your time to just passively read, the way you'd read a thriller on holiday. Always make notes to keep up your concentration and understanding. Here are four tips for active reading. Underlining and highlighting Pick out what you think are the most important parts of what you are reading. Do this with your own copy of texts or on photocopies, not with borrowed books. If you are a visual learner, you'll find it helpful to use different colours to highlight different aspects of what you're reading. Note key words Record the main headings as you read. Use one or two keywords for each point. When you don't want to mark the text, keep a folder of notes you make while reading. Questions Before you start reading something like an article, a chapter or a whole book, prepare for your reading by noting down questions you want the material to answer. While you're reading, note down questions which the author raises. Summaries Pause after you've read a section of text. Then: put what you've read into your own words; skim through the text and check how accurate your summary is and fill in any gaps.

Description

Over the past 25 years, the United States has made support for the spread of democracy to other nations an increasingly important element of its national security policy. These efforts have created a growing demand to find the most effective means to assist in building and strengthening democratic governance under varied conditions.

Since 1990, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has supported democracy and governance (DG) programs in approximately 120 countries and territories, spending an estimated total of $8.47 billion (in constant 2000 U.S. dollars) between 1990 and 2005. Despite these substantial expenditures, our understanding of the actual impacts of USAID DG assistance on progress toward democracy remains limited and is the subject of much current debate in the policy and scholarly communities.

This book, by the National Research Council, provides a roadmap to enable USAID and its partners to assess what works and what does not, both retrospectively and in the future through improved monitoring and evaluation methods and rebuilding USAID s internal capacity to build, absorb, and act on improved knowledge.