The Second Coming Of Provost COE, Akwanga And Her Zeal To Tackled Open Defecation, Dilapidated Hostels

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Rabiu Omaku

 

Wise men says a “Golden Fish has no hidden place” this implies to the Midas touch of the Provost College of Education, Akwanga, Dr. Rebbeca Isaac Umaru who in prolific move to end open defecation in the College of Education, Akwanga has awarded direct labour contract to the Department of Works to restored all dysfunctional lavatories, hostels build for the past thirty years since the inception of the College as Advanced Teacher’s in the then Plateau State.

Renovated hostel at COE, Akwanga by the mgtThe inspection of both male, femalRenovated hostel at COE, Akwanga by the mgte hostels and sewage and lavatories which are in shambles takes the management of College including the President of the Students Union Government, Comrade Paul Emmanuel, members of the committee on rehabilitation of hostels led by the Chairman, Mr.Embugus, the Acting Director of Works, Engr.Mohammed Idris and Journalists 45 minute to go round the renovation site.

 

The inspection started from male hostels whose toilets that were built since the days of Advance Teachers College from the then Plateau State to female toilet at Hauwa A hostel to water project opposite the convocation square to CBT centre.

New suck-aways were built while obsolete ones are undergoing overhauling with water system to avert intermittent blockage of pipes, a situation which force students to take to open defecation making the entire environment inhabitable, the worst situation was the littering of female hostels especially Hauwa A hostel littered with black polythene bags with bad stench.

 

The committee saddled with the responsibility advised the management to replaced smaller pipes with bigger ones so as to ensure the free flow of faeces and water, the enthusiastic Provost while commenting on the ongoing work expressed delight over the level of work ongoing through direct labour, she also expressed happiness over the ongoing renovation of hostels which are at an advance stage.

She buttressed that the renovation work if completed will give Students new lease of life by encouraging them to concentrate on their studies, other places visited are borehole  opposite the 1,500 capacity convocation square, built by the workaholic Provost whose constituency is “College of Education” It would be recalled that College of Education, Akwanga during the first tenure of Dr. Rebbeca Isaac Umaru witnessed a momentous projects ranging from Normal, Special and Presidential intervention by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

Some of the achievements recorded in her first tenure are the building of language library with the “State of the Art” road network linking the new Department, The Provost has left indelible marks in the sands of time for her successor to emulate. It would be recalled that the Inspection of projects and site seeing at the College Of Education Akwanga by the Fact Finding committee constituted by the immediate past governor of the State, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura is a trajectory that the Dr.Rebbeca Isaac Umaru was on a rescue mission to salvage the institution.

The leadership of Dr. Umaru is a paradigm shift going by the courage to lobby the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to get more projects and sponsorship of staff to further their education both at diaspora and at home, when she assumed office in the last five years she succeeded in turning around the fortune of the institution to reality by averting the perennial shortage of water through the reconstruction of reservoir opposite the convocation Square of the College. The overhauling of the reservoir has to a greater measure curtailed the trepidation faced by students to get potable drinking water.

Another key area of interest was the construction of 1,500 capacity convocation square by the Provost, this are some of the Midas touch of the quintessential academician, other core successes of Dr. Rebbeca from 2014 to date is never an exercise in futility with her amiable performance which includes.

 

BUILDING OF E’LIBRARY

 

A visit to the Library section of the College situated at the Joseph Gowmalk block was a commendation galore, inverter were provided by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund in the E-library of the institution.

Also there was an inverter in the cyber cafe which was the 2013 TETFUND intervention. The institution can also boost of the best Information Communication Technology (ICT), CBT centre in the state accommodating over 250 students with her twin centres, the provost in an interview said electricity is never their hiccups with the presence of inverter in the College.

 

26 COURSES GETS FULL ACCREDITATION

The College Of Education Akwanga under the headship of Dr. Rebecca Isaac Umaru succeeded in the accreditation of 26 courses while two courses secured an interim accreditation, the accredited courses for degree programmes include Arts and Science courses respectively, The accreditation of degree courses of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Akwanga campus is a clear determination of the Provost to brought in new ground for academic activities to thrive is achievable.

 

Dr.Umaru urged students with teaching carrier to utilize the opportunity of the degree Programmmes in the College instead of going far away to neighboring states to acquire degree in education to enroll for their degree in Education.

 

SCHOOL CLINIC

 

Sophisticated medical facilities including functional X-ray machine and other devices are judiciously utilized by the management of the College ,the College made provisions for beds in the clinic,but more needed to be done.

 

Under the headship of the workaholic Provost,the College  witnessed numerous achievement especially in the utilization of funds from 88 with the series of projects ranging from presidential and normal interventions.the College can boost of tar access road network from hall 12 to the new Secondary Education Language Library.

SPENDS OVER N6M IGR FOR THE REINSTALLATION OF LANGUAGE LIBRARY

 

Rebecca Umaru expended money to the tune of N6m in the reinstallation of language library in the school, In an exclusive interview the Provost buttressed that the amount was spent on the relocation of equipment, tiling of the library as well supply ceiling fans, she explained that the Internally Generated Revenue was used for the building of 1,500 capacity convocation square.

 

 

During her first tenure the Provost succeeded in the procurement of two Mikano generating plant which were installed at the administrative block, other success stories was the construction of 80,000 litter reservoir, this holistic approach has assisted in curbing the acute shortage of water that looms in the College over the years.

 

TOTAL OVERHAULING OF STAFF CHILDREN SECONDARY SCHOOL

 

The existing Secondary School owned by the College has passed through total rejuvenation during her last tenure which includes roofing and the reconstruction of desk used by students, the feat was extended to the state of “the art” Early Child Care  constructed by TETFUND.

 

TETFUND SPONSORED 48 FOR MASTERS,30 FOR PHD IN COE, AKWANGA FROM 2014-2017

The numerous beneficiaries of Tertiary Education Trust Fund scholarship and staff development in College Of Education, Akwanga can be attributed to the pragmatic leadership style to effect effective development of the institution, Dr. Rebbeca Isaac Umaru as available records from the office of the desk officer of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Benbela Madaki uncovered that 78 staff benefitted from staff training Interventions of TETFUND from 2013-2017.

 

Document made available to our reporter revealed that over 30 staff were accorded sponsorship for their Post Higher Diploma in their field of specialty, In 2017 scholarship interventions 7 staff benefitted for both foreign and local scholarship.

 

It further revealed that the total sum of N80m was spend on the sponsorship, 1 staff was sponsored for foreign training while 6 are sponsored locally for their PHD. The document further revealed that 2 staff benefited for master abroad and 23 sponsored locally for their master respectively bringing their number to 23 master including 7 staff in 2013-2014 bringing the entire number to 32.

 

It further unveiled that the sponsorship was allocated in 2013 but executed in 2014. While 2014-2015 4 staff were sponsored for foreign training for their PHD and master ,In 2014-2015 a whooping N23, 849,094 for Ph.D and N80m was released for 4 staff training and interventions for masters while 4 were  sponsored to study locally and   7 diaspora ,bringing their number to 15 beneficiaries.

In 2015-2016 with a total amount of N8, 361,924 was expended on 2 staff going for Ph.D ,2 sponsored abroad for 2015 interventions and was executed in 2016 as 4 staff were trained.

N60m was released for the training of 5 staff,1 sponsored abroad for master and 4 study their Master’s program locally.

 

TETFUND SPENDS N8,361,924  IN 2015,2016 ON 2 STAFF

 

The desk officer of TETFUND revealed that TETFUND expended N8,361,924  for the sponsorship of 2 staff that went for Ph.D abroad.

 

Again in 2015 interventions but executed in 2016 as 4 staff were trained.

N60m was released for the training of 5 staff,1 sponsored abroad for master and 4 study their Master’s program locally bringing their number to 7.

 

Available record has shown that 14 staff benefitted from Ph.D while 10 for Master’s program respectively.

 

24 staff benefitted from 2017 sponsorship bringing the number of staff that benefited for TETFUND to almost 89 staff, been the tertiary institution having thr highest number of staff, also under Rebbeca Issac Umaru some staff that collected money but failed to embarked on studies voyage were foist to make refund, this makes her an exception while comparing her with heads of other tertiary institution like the Nasarawa State Polytechnic Lafia which was in quandary reasons been that two percent was deducted from the released made by TETFUND for every staff going for further studies.

 

 

EXPENDED N48 MILLION ANNUALLY FROM IGR ON POWER SUPPLY

 

The Public Relations Officer of the College Of Education Akwanga, Mustapha Ibrahim has revealed that the institution expended a whooping N48 million annually from the Internally Generated Revenue for the settlement of light bills to Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC),

 

Jonathan Thani, Dean of Education in the College disclosed that huge amount of money was expended on supervision of students on Teaching Practice, in an interview with Newsmen in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state,he disclosed that teaching practice is a six unit course which is a mandatory exercise and one of the most important activities in the College, He added that students participate in the exercise from September every year to March, the preceding year in Primary and Secondary Schools across the state.

 

He explained that in the past because the number of students was not much the College only spends about N10 million, but the money rise up this year due to increase in the number of students.

“Apart from this money which only takes care of the allowances of the supervisors, the College also provides booklet and stationaries.

“The money for the TP which is N2000 per every student is usually built up in the school fees because it is not a free exercise.

 

“But because of the increased in the number this year from about 2000 to 5000, the management in due consultation with the student representatives asked the students to pay N3000 extra,” he added.

 

The Provost said if supervisors were to go out 10 times during the TP exercise, it would cost them over N40 million.

She added that even with the extra pay from the students the management still augments in addition to the support from TETFund to ensure smooth running of TP exercise.

 

She also mentioned that monthly allocation of N108 million is not enough to pay full salaries of staff every month.

“We have to source for over N4 million every month from our IGR to augment the monthly allocation to enable us pay full salaries of staff,” the Provost added.

 

SHORTAGE OF  SECURITY PERSONNEL A MAJOR HICCUPS

 

The institution is facing serious security as well the non-implementation and payment of backlog of 2015,2916,2017,2018, 2019 promotion, the provost in an interview confided that the acute shortage of security is a threat to the College as students capitalized on the grim situation to destroy furniture in the lectures hall.

 

It was gathered that the  provost hired outsiders for the clearing of bushes around the College to avoid outbreak of fire.

 

The recent visit of the zonal leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress led, Mr.Jambo may not be unconnected to the unprecedented projects exhibited by the Provost, APC in the zone lauded Dr.Umaru for bringing her true leadership quality to bear by making the institution more better than she met it in the last five years.

 

The Provost appreciate the Northern APC caucus for the visit and promised to do her utmost best to rebuild the College, she explained that the onging rehabilitation of hostels and toilets was meant to create a conducive teaching and learning atmosphere,The Provost averred that she would extend her commitment to the renovation of staff quaters which are wearing bad look as she said as soon funds are available she would commence work.

 

The renovation of hostels and sewages according to the Acting Director of Works, Dr.Mohammed Idris lauded the headship of the College for taking the bull by the horn for the commencement and completion of the rehabilitation of hostels on time.

 

CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE INSTITUTION ARE

The Provost maintained that the College engaged the service of 104 engage lecturers and were paid N2.2m monthly as salary , she further explained that their salary was coming the Internally Generated Revenue, the Provost disclosed that the College was in financial quandary leading to the non-payment of four months’ salary of 104 engage mounted to N

 

ACUTE SHORTAGE OF TEACHING STAFF DUE TO RETIRED OF 32 STAFF

 

One of the recent challenges facing the College according to the Provost was the mass retirement of teaching staff numbering thirty two, she averred those that retired was with effect from 2019 to date creating serious vacuum.

 

INADEQUATE  SECURITY

 

The Provost while revealing the the daunting hiccups of the College buttressed that the institution has to patronized other security like the Nigeria Security And Civil Defense Corps to complement the existing security outfit in the College as she explained that the College spent money to the tune of N610, 000 monthly for external security, saying all these are taking care from IGR.

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