Unizik DVC, Prof. Ikechebelu Institutes N100,000 Reward for Faculty of Education Best Student

By Gabriel Chy Alonta

In a bid to promote excellence and healthy competition among Faculty of Education students, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Joseph Ikechebelu, has announced a cash reward of N100,000 annually to the overall best graduating student of the Education Faculty.

The award which is christened, “Joseph Ikechebelu Prize (JIP)”, would be domiciled in the Faculty of Education, and it is expected to kick off for the 2022/2023 Academic Session.Prof. Ikechebelu made the announcement during the 10th induction and oath-taking ceremony of Faculty of Education graduates organized by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at the University Auditorium.

In an exclusive interview with The Anambra Post on the sidelines of the induction exercise in Awka, the Anambra state capital, Prof. Ikechebelu said the gesture was to promote excellence and healthy competition among Faculty of Education undergraduates during their academic journey.

According to the deputy vice-chancellor (Administration), the annual endowment will start in the 2022/2023 academic session, and will also help to instill in students a spirit of hard work, dedication and commitment to their studies throughout their academic journey.

“This is part of my little effort to encourage other students to aspire to be the best versions of themselves, and to give them a sense of belief that hard work still pays despite the prevailing conditions in Nigeria”, Prof. Ikechebelu, who is the benefactor, enthused.

Prof. Vivian Ngozi Nwogbo, the Dean, Faculty of Education, on behalf of staff and students of the Faculty, commended Prof. Ikechebelu, for choosing the Faculty of Education, which, according to her, was the ‘mother faculty’. She equally enjoined the students to take advantage of the endowment by striving to give their best in their studies.

Some of the students who spoke with this writer, eulogized the benefactor for his thoughtfulness, while urging him not to rest on his oars in his quest to promote excellence among students of the faculty.