BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
The Commissioner for Tertiary Education in Ebonyi State, Amari Omaka, has challenged management of all tertiary institutions in the state to establish ventures that would generate revenue for sustenance of the institutions.
Omaka gave this charge recently during his familiarization visit to some institutions including the permanent site of Ebonyi University Abakaliki, College of Health Sciences and Technology and their Ezzangbo counterpart in Ohaukwu Local Government Area.
This came as the management of the university lamented financial challenges and acute shortage of staff.
However, the commissioner encouraged the institutions to venture into businesses like printing press, bakery, mushroom farming, and premium table water industry among others which would boost their revenue instead of demanding outrageous increase of subventions from the government.
He pledged to strengthen the state scholarship system with priority to indigent and outstanding scholars, partner with federal, state and private owned institutions as well as install WiFi to institutions to enhance quality education in the state among other policy trusts of the ministry.
Omaka, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, promised to relay all complaints from the institutions to the state governor for prompt interventions.
“We encourage tertiary institutions in the state, especially the universities to have a strategic IGR plan that will be owned by the institutions and deliberately develop various pools of revenue for financial sustainability and reasonable self-reliance.
“Tertiary institutions are also expected to deliver world class education that is skill and technology based and at the same time achieves top ranking/recognition in the comity of universities/institutions across the globe. To evolve an educational system that is production oriented, lecturers should not only teach theories but more practical skills, discovery of sources of raw materials, fabrication of tools and equipment and sundry products,” he stated.
Reacting, the Vice Chancellor of EBSU, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, called for increase of the university subvention to Three Hundred Million Naira monthly and waiver given for employment of more academic staff.
“May we at this point highlight some of our challenges? Funds have remained our greatest challenge and even now worsened with astronomical increases in the cost of running the university diesel, paper, maintenance among others.
We request that our monthly subsidy be increased to N300, 000,000.00.
“There is a very severe shortage of academic staff in all the departments of the university. This had been made worse by the transfer of some staff to other universities. The level of excess teaching load on each lecturer is unbearable. We are requesting the government to give us a waiver to advertise and recruit some academic staff,” the VC urged the state government.
Lamenting further, he said, “Promotion is an incentive to workers but the university has not been able to provide the financial benefits. We are requesting the government to come to our aid in paying these arrears. The Visitor had indicated that he will work on the dualized entrance road to the main campus. It will be very exciting if it could be done before convocation slated for either December 2023 or early next year. Also, it would be very impressive if a convocation arena could be constructed for the University.”
At the College of Health Sciences and Technology Ezzangbo, the Provost, Stephen Nwamkpuma complained of insufficient hostel accommodation for students and insecurity.
He said the college was at the verge of closure due to the lack of a state-owned teaching hospital for practicals.
