By Emmanuel Acha
Enugu — Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo, in Ezeagu local government will be made a centre of excellence for agriculture and allied courses.
Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State made the promise at the inauguration of its Governing Council on Tuesday.
He said his administration had since inception continued to place high premium on the improvement of the education sector.
The governor said the institution would be dedicated to the improvement of skilled manpower and advancement in technology.
Ugwuanyi said members of the board were carefully selected based on their track records and charged them to ensure the re-validation and full accreditation of all courses in the institution.
Former Chairman of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Mr Chinedu Onu was named Chairman of the council.
Onu said the appointment of members of the board was a call to service.
The chairman said there was disconnect between the curriculum of the institution and what obtained outside, adding that much needed to be done to bring the institution at par with its peers.
Onu stressed the need to equip students of the institution with the requisite knowledge.
He said the state government had exhibited the political will to transform the institution from a mono to a polytechnic, adding that the board would work assiduously if given the tools to perform.
“This call to duty has given us further disposition to contribute our quota to our state”, Onu said.
Leader of the accreditation team from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Mr Garba Mohammed expressed delight at the upgrade of the institution to a polytechnic.
Garba said that this was the first time they were witnessing a college of agriculture become a centre of excellence.
He said the institution was not deviating from its mandate by adding courses outside agriculture.
“The establishment of a polytechnic requires some standards. You will have your main programmes as well as others to augment it”, he said.
He said the institution had been running only agricultural programmes, adding that it needed to add engineering, science and management courses.
“There is the need to add other supporting programmes and college of engineering to be able to fabricate some of the agricultural implements it will use”, he said.
Garba appealed to the government to give the board the enabling environment to perform.
The News Agency of the Nigeria (NAN), reports that other members of the board are Mr Julius Ogbuke, Prof. Ofilli Ugwujiala, Prof. Owo Chinwuba and Chief Jerry Eneh.
The institution brings to two the number of state owned polytechnics in Enugu.