AE-FUNAI, JAMB TO PARTNER IN DEVELOPING SUDENTS’ ICT CAPACITIES
Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State is to partner Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in developing the capacities of students in the use of Information and Communication Technology for enhanced academic performance and other worthwhile activities.
This was made known recently by the Registrar of the Board, Prof, Ishaq Oloyede when the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba paid him courtesy call at his office in Abuja.

The Registrar noted the need to partner with the University in an IT talent competition among students to enable them display their hidden talents, adding that it would help them to properly channel their energies towards worthwhile activities that would improve their lives. He however decried the activities of students who use their IT skills for fraudulent endeavours, thereby painting the name of their institutions and that of themselves in bad light. He also explained that the competition would be a way of diverting their attention positively to see how such talents could be harnessed adequately to address national needs and informed the Vice-Chancellor that JAMB would also consider establishing its own CBT centre in the University.

Commending the Vice-Chancellor for repositioning the University to become a point of reference among public Universities in Nigeria, Prof. Oloyede said: “Your University is a school we are proud of because of your antecedents and achievements within this short period of time. The moment Prof. Nwajiuba was appointed I knew he will take the university to greater heights. Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike is in for a big deal.”
He further assured the Vice-Chancellor that AE-FUNAI and JAMB were partners in progress, promising to come to the aid of the University in order to address any identified problems relating to its admission activities. He noted that foreign students who do not have English Language were qualified to be admitted, stressing that there is usually an emersion programme meant to teach them English language for six months. He also commended the Vice-Chancellor’s effort in trying to admitting foreign students, saying that a university should be universal and diverse in order to address various needs of any country.

While speaking at the visit, Prof. Nwajiuba extolled the various contributions of the Board Registrar to the development of the Nigerian Public Service.

“Your selfless sacrifice and contribution to the country cannot be overlooked and it has inspired us in various capacities, I pray for God to grant you the grace to carry on these good work”, he stated.
He also thanked him for approving the University’s Computer-based Test (CBT) centre, adding that its importance to the institution cannot be overemphasized especially as the university council has approved the commencement of staff promotion examinations. He explained that the University has eight thousand (8,000) students domiciled in the faculties of Agriculture, Basic Medical Sciences, Education, Engineering and Technology, Humanities, Management and Social Sciences, Science and a College of Medicine, stressing that in the last accreditation exercise by the National Universities Commission in 2018, the University had twenty six of its academic programmess fully accredited.

The Vice-Chancellor maintained that AE-FUNAI was a serious-minded institution geared towards turning out graduates that are globally-competitive. He also used the opportunity to request for the admission of foreign students who do not have English language in their O’ level into the university as the institution was looking at admitting Cameroonians. He further offered to give instant admission to students outside the university’s catchment area who performed creditably well in their Senior Secondary School Examination and Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination as a way of diversifying the university.

The visit was part of the engagement programmes of the Vice-Chancellor meant to build synergies with all relevant stakeholders in his drive to ensure the University justifies the reason for its establishment.