THE MAIN STEPS FOR SMOOTH STARTING OF DEGREE PROGRAMME IN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AFAHA NSIT

THE MAIN STEPS FOR SMOOTH STARTING OF DEGREE PROGRAMME IN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AFAHA NSIT 

        

On some meetings held by the academic board back on December, 2012 agitated to turn the institution into a degree awarding class. Like other colleges in the country.

            but the body that control university education in the country outline some criteria to be made before any university education is established. The criteria were as follows;

1.   Improved infrastructure,

2.   Security, cleanliness,

3.   Staff productivity and discipline. 

4.   Sound academic, etc.

The pragmatic and result-oriented leadership style of the Provost, College of Education Afaha Nsit, Dr Patrick Uko, registered a significant milestone in the history of the College as the much anticipated dream of running degree programmes in the only State-Owned Teacher training institution has been achieved, through an affiliation with The University of Uyo. This feat, achieved by an erudite administrator who seems to apparently, be in a hurry to place the College on the world map of reckoning, has attracted positive reactions from stakeholders in the College and Afaha Nsit community. Shortly after receiving certificate affiliation from the authorities of the University of Uyo, the visibly elated Provost explained that the degree- awarding status of the College had opened a new fiesta in the institution and placed it in the comity of Colleges of education of note. 

Maintained that the COE- Uniuyo affiliation would bring about an exchange of programmes, cross-fertilization of ideas while lecturers stand a better chance of rising to the peak of their career, thus checkmating exodus of lectures from the College. 

            Programmes to be run under the degree status, according to the certificate of COE- Uniuyo affiliation included Biology Education, Chemistry Education, Integrated Science Education, Mathematics Education, Physics Education, Technical Education, Business Education, Early Childhood Education, English Education and Social Studies Education. 

The programmes, the letter of COE- Uniuyo Affiliation added, would commence in the 2015-2016 academic session. 

Dr Uko further explained that the College parades avalanche of renowned academics and manpower, infrastructure and facilities needed to run the programme. 

Noted that his administration was vigorously implementing his six-point agenda which include among others promotion of Sound academic culture, Improved infrastructure, Security, cleanliness, Staff productivity and discipline.  He thanked Governor Akpabio for assisting the College in the area of infrastructure as evident in the construction of hostels, classroom and administrative blocks, perimeter fence among others and described him as the most education-friendly Governor.  

In terms of infrastructure and structural development, you must have seen many new buildings, some of them with uniform colour, that is what I have done since I came on board. It is a marked difference, I have changed the contour of the college, so many storey buildings, I started renovating the provost’s office that I met which was not befitting enough, renovated some offices, caused so many new structures to emerge, I built the first shopping mall in the college, built the convocation ground stand that can accommodate at least 2,000 people. As soon as I arrived, I took over the two-storey administrative block which I will move in next year by God’s grace. Students are going to return to hostels by virtue of the accommodation that we are building, we want a hostel that can accommodate at least 5,000 students while many other existing hostels have been renovated. During my tenure, I have attracted some projects from TETFUND. Last week, they handed over the ICT centre and students’ micro teaching block, there are many other new buildings around about six of them. There is water tank erected courtesy of Senator Ita Enang, there is light. We have provided a generator in case of power failure.
I have attracted 12 brand new vehicles from the state government for the college; the college had no fence before now but during my time, there is a perimeter fence; we have gotten a new library complex; I have renovated the registrar’s office and mini-theatre. These are some of the things I have done with God on my side.
Under staff welfare, many of our staff are abroad, some are within for their academic staff training either for Masters or PhD programmes. What is the hope of the college beyond NCE graduate? We hope to upgrade it to a degree-awarding institution. We have applied to the University of Uyo. They will come and see the infrastructure, quality of staff and other variables and the college will be upgraded to a degree-awarding institution, all these have been done, we have concluded all that. The team has been here three to four times, they have submitted a report which has been forwarded to the Senate of the university. I am very sure we will have a positive response because I have discussed intensively with the vice chancellor and the team was impressed with what they saw.
Though not all the departments will move, about 10 which include English, Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Biology Technical Education will be there.
Our interest is to serve humanity better when you acquire higher knowledge, we are already running an NCE programme almost equivalent to a Higher Diploma, so we have to go beyond that; we have a mandate from the edict establishing the college to run a degree programme and many colleges of education in the country, about 90 per cent, are running degree programme, so we just want to catch up with them and I want it to be in my time.
The management has zero-tolerance for examination malpractice whether staff or students. You know staff are also involved in examination malpractice, we have a list of so many students involved in this act and they are either on suspension or direct expulsion. We have a committee in charge of that and as soon as they are through with their investigation they report to the academic board who will look at it, take a position and we send it to the council and the council will ratify and that will stand.
In terms of cultism, well, there is cultism but we are able to control it, and any student who is a cultist we will expel. So the college also has zero-tolerance for cultism.