http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/education/2011/june/21/education-21-06-2011-001.html

Why we are offering Chinese Language – Rector, Okopoly
GEOFFREY ANYANWU, Awka
Tuesday, June 21, 2011


• Prof Onu
PHOTO: THE SUN PUBLISHING

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The Rector, Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State, Prof. Godwin Onu recently marked one year in office and celebrated it with a thanksgiving service in the church. During the occasion, he took time off his busy schedule to speak to Daily Sun on the challenges he is facing so far and what he did to overcome. He also spoke on the problems bedeviling the Polytechnic, why Chinese Language is being studied by the students and on his future plans. Excerpts:

One year in the saddle
After two calendar months, I think I can thank God because we have been able to do a lot and had even out-class my earlier plan for the year. I was able to do that out of hard work, dedication, sacrifices to make an impact in the science of history. It is not how long you stay that matters but what you’re able to achieve Achievements so far

I tackled the issues of manpower development and capacity-building. The first thing I did was to train and retrain staff in ICT, use of computer, computer applications, software usage in teaching and learning. My interests and plans were to connect Okopoly to the superhighway so that both staff and students will be digitalized, and I think to a large extent we have achieved results. We trained staff and gave out free computers to enable them practise what we have taught them in the classroom. It is a cautious exercise.

They are also able to connect to the Internet. We have been able to establish an ultra-modern internet access within the campuses of the Polytechnic so that both staff and students can access information with ease. There are lots of information about free books online. Thousands of people apply online and that saves us time, money, space because if we had asked them to go and write application and attach copies of other documents, at the end of the day a person may spend up to N5, 000 and it will occupy so much space. But in this case, applicants are to pay N2, 100 and N1, 100 only depending on the category they apply online. What we will do next is to write them for interview. The world is in a supersonic age.

Again, here we use bulk SMS to reach our students and staff any time there is need to reach them. I also dedicated a mail box, rectoroko2010@gmail.com to everybody especially students. I am already on Facebook. I interact with my students regularly through this electronic means and I receive reports and then try to sort it out immediately. Every report receives attention within 48 hours because I have mobile internet access and I rely on it to get the true picture of situations and that was also passed on to the staff. No staff keeps files more than 48 hours or you receive a query for it. Either that you are working or you are not.

Issue of lousy attitude to work, coming to work late has stopped. It is no longer a period people stroll out from their houses and wait for a ride to come to school. These days by 8am everybody is seated for the day’s job. We go on break and dismiss at 4pm. Lecturers are now meant to do their work. They now deliver quality lectures because we introduced an effective means of monitoring them. We acquired motorcycles and empowered a monitoring team. There was this case we treated sometime ago. One lecturer who was working in Rivers State; he comes twice to teach and set exams for students. We investigated it and used him as an example to others. So, such hopeless attitude to work has stopped.

We also initiated a friendly policy to encourage our staff to improve on their education. About 40 per cent of staff are running one academic programme or the other. If by 2012, you don’t have your PhD, honestly I am afraid if there will still be a chance for such a person here; so everybody is busy. This place now looks like an academic environment. So many staff have been encouraged to go on full-time study leave with pay. When they go and acquire this knowledge, they return and impact the same. We recently organized a retreat in Awka for the newly-appointed Heads of Departments, Coordinators and Directors.

Virtual library dream, Chinese language and other projects
This is about the physical structure. One of my promises was to give the institute one of the best libraries in the South East. When God is with you, He opens doors of favour. Recently, we received a clearance from Education Trust Fund (ETF) to commence our Visual Resource Center that will house our virtual library and paper library, a gigantic building that will cost about N160 million. The money is already there for the job and I directed my Director of Physical Planning to advertise it in the tender’s journal.

Why Okopoly is learning Chinese Language
China is now one of the largest economies in the world. You cannot afford to ignore China in the scheme of things. We embraced them through Nnamdi Azikiwe University who introduced us to Chinese language. So we now have Confucius Institute and had awarded contract to build a two storey building where the language will be taught. But for the interim, we use available classrooms. We have a Chinese Professor and others posted to us for this purpose. We had earlier written our regulating body, NBTE (National Board for Technical Education) to seek permission. They acknowledged and congratulated us for the innovation. There is need to key into Chinese technology and then on what we have.

Ongoing Projects
There are other major projects going on now: we have the N200 million Food Technology Complex and two large lecture theatres. Recently a businessman from Orumba, Sir Jonah Eze, donated a secondary school to us in the tune of N20 million and we just turned the sod few days back. We’ve also awarded contract for the Dr Alex Ekwueme Innovative Center; with art gallery and other facilities.

We awarded contracts for two storey building for Mass Communication. Contract has also been awarded for the construction of medical complex and we are preparing to award contract for the construction of council secretariat. We have hospitality management complex which is already at the roofing stage. Inter-link road project within the polytechnic is on-going in all the campuses. Some structures have also been renovated. Our auditorium now is a masterpiece and we are going into mass communication to renovate their classrooms. Practically, we’ve moved into other areas. Both radio and television studios are almost ready for transmission; most facilities are on ground. It is an edifice and when we begin transmission, it will be the best around. Work has commenced on the construction of Exams and Records building.

This and many more are our success story within one year. There are lots of other works physically ongoing in the Polytechnic. Students are also being meant to bend down and read. They have been made to realize that they cannot pass by cheating. So when you hear them speak, you know they are no longer the crop of students we used to have here. Now a lot of them make scholarship lists of so many private and government companies and multinationals. Recently Nnamdi Azikiwe University visited on resource inspection and we are convinced that from what we have on ground, we will be favoured to start awarding degrees soon. This will also attract more projects and programmes for the Polytechnic. We are all out to take it to the next level. The affiliation will be in many areas.

Relationship with fellow contestants for the post and council members
When I contested, I tried as much as possible not to offend anybody. I did not castigate or scandalize anybody’s name. Many people did not even know that I applied. So if any body fought me, I didn’t know but the only one I knew I called him and we made up, so I don’t interpret any position from that angle. For my council members, they are wonderful people. It is like a family, we do think together and they have been very supportive and enterprising. I wouldn’t have gone this far without them. But all the same there were some areas we disagreed to agree. In a very family, there are meant be conflict but one’s ability to resolve them when they come is what makes a man. A man can fall many times but his ability to rise and pick his pieces is what makes the difference. So I work cordially with my council members. The members are men of timber and calibre from whom I have learnt so much. We learn everyday and improve on our future. It’s a perfect relationship and I thank God for it. The Chairman of the Council, Dr Anene Uzuakpunwa, is like a father to me, my mentor.

Staff Welfare
Part of the staff welfare is also part of the training. We train and retrain them. We don’t owe them salaries. We pay them on 26th of every month. All the allowances due to them have been paid. So if there is anything remaining, you know that one is negotiable not with the polytechnic but with the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Government. We have been able to fulfill all our responsibilities and we pay them their entitlements promptly. During festivities, we make them happy.

Appeal
My last message is a call on the Federal Government to pronounce this place a University of Science and Technology so that the nitty-gritty will follow. Kaduna Polytechnic and Yaba College are to be converted to universities. It is only natural and justifiable for one to be in the South-East. If it has to be in the South-East, it should be in Oko. Enugu State has a University of Science and Technology. Imo has a University of Technology, Abia has a Technical University of Agriculture. Ebonyi has just been given a university. It is only natural that Anambra should have a University of Science and Technology. We don’t have any.

Expectations in the next three years
Yes, we are praying that apart from what I have just said, Oko and Nekede are the only polytechnics that have not received their take-off grant. We are praying that the federal government should give us our take-off grant of N300 million which was given to every other institutions. That would sound like marginalization. We are asking them to release our take-off grant. Other institutions received theirs apart from Federal Polytechnic, Oko and Nekede. If they give us that, it would help us a lot and we are hoping that in the next three years, by the time I finish this tenure, Federal Polytechnic, Oko will not just be a university, it would be the best in this part of the world.