IMSU sponsors over 100 lecturers, others for professional training in 1 year

The Imo State University (IMSU) says it has sponsored the professional training of over 100 lecturers of the institution within one year. The University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Uchefula Chukwumaeze, said this while addressing newsmen in Owerri on Thursday. Chukwumaeze, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Professor of Law, said that the training sponsorship was part of his achievements since assuming office in March 2022. He said that beneficiaries of the training include lecturers and other staff of the institution, who received training in and outside Nigeria. This, he said, was part of the efforts to standardise the University’s quality of education for optimal performance of its graduates. “Industrial strikes are usually connected with staff and students welfare, so I thought it wise to channel our energies towards the welfare of the University staff, hence their training and retraining. “I assumed office in the middle of an industrial strike, a challenging situation which I confronted head-on. “We called off the strike, commenced academic activities and began rejigging the system, so that today, we have been able to clear arrears of promotions dating back to year 2017. “Thus, we have strengthened staff morale,” the vice-chancellor said. He said further that the University established a Centre for Atmospheric Research, a Faculty of Communication and Media Studies to further enhance the quality of education in the institution. Chukwumaeze thanked Gov. Hope Uzodinma for his moral, logistics and other support. He added that in a bid to build students’ confidence, the University established an open-door policy, which permitted students to communicate directly with the Vice-Chancellor and report lecturers’ unprofessional behaviour. “We opened up the [email protected], an email address through which students can relate with me directly. “As a result of this, seven defaulting lecturers, including a professor, have been suspended for unprofessional behaviour and are facing disciplinary panels. “We have successfully addressed admission racketeering and other forms of corruption, and no lecturer holds students’ scripts beyond four weeks,” he said. The vice-chancellor added that the institution currently has an electronic library, electronic voting for Students Union Government (SUG) elections, a University press and a revived MicroFinance Bank. He noted that the institution also boasted of a rehabilitated medical centre and a solar-powered breadfruit de hoisting machine manufactured by its students. “The institution has planted 1,500 palm seedlings and 500 coconuts in various locations of the campus for ornamental and economic purposes. “We have also graduated many sets of medical students during the period under review,” the vice-chancellor disclosed. (NAN)