Provost Of Ebonyi School of Health Technology Sets To Reposition School

…Charges Staff On Dedication, Commitment

By Alex Odeh

In her avowed determination to reposition the Ebonyi State School of Health Technology, Ngbo in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, the Provost, Princess Chitachi Jerry Usulor, has reiterated the need for dedication and commitment by the management and staff of the institution.

She stated this during a maiden meeting held in the institution with management, academic staff, non-academic staff and the students of the institution.

Usulor underscored the critical need for each staff member to be proactive and effective in their duties when she said, “Every one of us plays a vital role in shaping the future of our institution. We must deploy every positive mechanism available to us to ensure the sustainability and credibility of our beloved school,” she urged.

The provost’s call to action came at a time when the institution seeks to enhance its reputation and effectiveness in the educational sector.

She expressed confidence in the staff’s ability to rise to the occasion, urging them to innovate and collaborate in their efforts.

Usulor’s remarks were met with enthusiasm by the staff, who acknowledged the challenges ahead but remain committed to the overreaching goal of providing quality education and health services to the society.

Her charge further reflects a broader vision for the Ebonyi State School of Health Technology, one that prioritizes excellence, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to the community it serves.

In an interview shortly after the meeting with the management and staff of the Ebonyi State College of Health Science and Technology, Ngbo, Mr. Obu Emmanuel, Head of the Environmental Health Department of the said the meeting was to bring the staff together in order to reawaken their spirit to work.

He said, “The new provost came with a clean heart. That’s why she called this meeting, bringing every member of the staff together. Because there are so many that have not been attending and that have not been coming to school for quite a long time now, but all of them came today.

He said the meeting was a proof that the provost had the intention of moving the institution forward, saying, ” the provost has been able to prove that she has come to move the school forward and take it to a higher height. So the meeting is a very good one and it has yielded a very good result because all the workers have spoken their minds and they tried to present what may be their problems, what may have boggled their minds. So, it’s a very good one and I commend her for that”, he applauded.

He advised others management staff of the institution to offer support to the Provost to enable her succeed in her new job.

“My advice to other management staffs is very, very key. We need to support her to make sure that her administration succeeds. That is one. If she succeeds, then we will succeed. But she alone cannot succeed. Therefore, we all need to rally around her, give her all the needed support, both physically and otherwise.

“And then ensure that we attend to our duties regularly, come to school every day, teach our courses, shun all those vices that have been bedevilling this school, that has painted us black before the public. And if we do that, we are not doing that to her, we are promoting ourselves. And then all of us will be happy for that.

Speaking also, Mr. Kenneth Umachi, the Assistant Chief Scientific Officer of Ebonyi State College of Health Science and Technology, Ngbo, who described the appointment of the Provost as a new dawn in the institution, expressed appreciation to Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for the appointment.

He called on the Provost to prioritise security, academic excellence and ensure a healthy relationship with the host community, assuring that they would give unalloyed support to the Provost to enable her excel.

“We strongly believe that the new provost will take the school to a greater height. And for us, the academic, who are the engine of the institutions, we will give our unalloyed support in terms of quality teaching and learning that will turn around the health indices of the states going forward.

Mr. Kenneth Umachi encouraged the provost to focus on three thematic areas so as to make meaning impact on the College.

Hear him, “As the new serif in town, I know she’s going to take time to study the handover notes. But as a person, as an individual, and the staff of the college, there are three thematic areas I would love her to look into”, he said.

Umachi enumerated the areas to include, “First is on the issue of security. There’s a national policy on school safety initiative.I would encourage her to take her time to study that policy on school safety initiative so that both the student and the entire college community will be safe for both the student and the staff. That is on security.

“The second part of it is academic excellence. Like we’ve all deliberated during our meetings, we agreed that we are going to improve on the quality of teaching and learning, and we cannot do that. Only what we need from that is just to ignite the fire. So I would like her to also look into that area of quality teaching and learning so that the college will be able to compete with its peers in the global community.

“And then finally, we want her to always carry the local communities. Now we believe in community ownership in every government policy. With that, I strongly believe that the sky is the limit”, Umachi stated.

Speaking also on behalf of the students after a meeting with the Provost, the Student Union (SUG) President, Nwobasi Ernest Chukwudi, who expressed the hope that with the arrival of the new Provost most of the departments that were not carrying out practical trainings, would commence practical trainings.

He called on the Provost to look into the school clinic and demonstratio room, adding that the lecturers had to be also supervised to enable them perform optimally.

“Most of the challenges we are having here is that there are some departments don’t carry out practical training. And also the school clinic. A demonstration room should be looked into as well.

“The way we receive lecturers here were not impressive at all. It was really appalling that some lecturers, they give introduction to the courses and then you will not see them again. So I would like her to look into that. The security challenges of the school is also another problem. So that she should look into.

Nwobasi Ernest Chukwudi, however, said with the new Provost, there was hope that the issues bedevilling the students would be resolved.

“I believe that as time goes on she will look into some of the issues. She promised to do all her possible best and even to draw the attention of the governors.

“The problem is that the past administration didn’t tackle some of these issues with the governor. So she assured us that she will take some of the challenges to the state governor to look into”, he stated.