Suleiman Anyalewechi, Aba
Amidst accreditation and other sundry crises, the management of Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology has moved to reposition and reclaim the lost glory of the institution with a view to bringing it to global best standards.
This is even as it has singled out inadequate learning and teaching aids and a huge infrastructural deficit as major problems militating against efforts by the College to realize its full potentials.
This much was disclosed by the Acting Rector of the College Okezie Aloy in an exclusive interactive session with NewsCritic online on Thursday September 13, 2023.
He noted that the primary concern of the present management team is to work assiduously to ensure that the College lives up to the dreams and expectations of its founders, adding that all necessary machineries have been put in place to ensure the full accreditation of all the academic programmes of the institution.
NewsCritic online reports that the college in the last few years, especially since the tenure of the immediate past Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, have been grappling with accreditation problems, with most of its programmes and graduating students relying on the goodwill of a privately owned College of Health in Mgboko Obingwa local council of the state to scale their final examination and issuance of Certificates.
In a seemingly bizarre reversal of roles, the privately owned College, SEMCOM Friends College of Health Technology and Management believed strongly to belong to a close ally of the former Governor have been serving as examination center for graduating students of Abia State College of Health, with the students paying as high as between N100,000 and N120,000 as fees.
Regrettably, NewsCritic online findings have revealed that only less than 40% of these fees have been finding its way into the coffers of Abia State College of Health.
“It is not even the financial losses that is the major problem here. The most worrisome side of the situation is that a government owned institution that is supposed to be the one providing accreditation and other related cover to a private college with less resources is the one now shielding the deficiencies of a government school,” a source lamented.
Rector said plans have been concluded to receive the accreditation teams of all the relevant supervisory and regulatory authorities by November this year.
“We are mindful of the fact that without the College there will be no students. Without the students we will not be here. So, we are making all necessary efforts to have all the College’s academic programmes fully accredited by November this year.
We are also working towards rectifying all observed deficiencies such as lack of adequate teaching and learning aids.
In the main, the greatest problem facing us now is infrastructural deficit. Our desire and goal are to ensure that all necessary facilities befitting a College of this status are put in place.
Good enough, the present government of Dr Alex Otti has shown understanding, and commitment to resuscitating the College. So far, we have been receiving a serious attention from the government of the day. Our monthly subventions have started coming in regularly. In less than no time the fortunes of the college will be completely turned around,” Aloy stated.
