NCCE accreditation team storm Imo College of Education

Photo : Cross section of the NCCE accreditation team on facilities inspection at Imo State College of Education

By Everest Ezihe, Isinweke

For some weeks now, the serene academic environment of Imo State College of Education ( IMSCED), Ihitte Uboma has been charged with activities of infrastructural developments and transformations.

The level of human and infrastructural activities, simply signified that something very historical was about to happen in the tertiary Institution already known for the past two years as citadel of academic excellence since Dr. Mrs Chinyere Chukwu has been on the saddle as the Provost of the College with HRH Eze Dr. Oliver Ohanweh, as the Chairman of the Governing Council.

The level of preparations were likened to hosting of week long national academic programmes as both the students, staff and management members were deeply involved in the committed vision and mission of uplifting the College’s academic environment, infrastructures and equipments.

It was last Tuesday that the essence of the months long activities became clearer as 13 member team of National Commission for Colleges of Education, (NCCE) led by, Dr. Mrs Felicia Awah from Abuja visited the tertiary Institution which is one of the prides of Imo State Government and her citizens for the maiden full accreditation excerise of the Institution’s 24 contemporary academic programmes of studies.

The College’s 6 Schools and 24 Departments presented for the full accreditation are; School of General Education which houses the Departments of Educational Foundations, Curriculum & Instructions, Psychology, Guidance & Counselling and General Studies Education.

School of Early Childhood Care & Counselling incubates Primary Education and Early Childhood Care Departments, whilst the School of Arts and Social Studies has 6 Departments that includes Cultural and Creative Art, History, Social Studies, Christian Religious Studies, Economics and Political Science. Equally, the Institution’s School of Sciences have 7 Departments that includes; Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Integrated Science, Physical and Health Education, Computer Education and Mathematics.

It’s pertinent to inform that the College also has a formidable School of Languages with 3 critical Departments that offers English, Igbo and French Languages, just as their School of Vocational and Technical Education operates 2 departmental courses which are Business Education and Fine & Applied Arts.

As the team arrived the Institution in their motorcade as early as 9 am and were received by some critical stakeholders led by the Provost who took them to the Council’s mini conference hall, probably for little relaxation and brief meeting on why they came, their needs and their method of operations.

The meticulous team leader, Dr. Mrs. Felicia Awah explained their mission, solicited from the students, staff and management on the need for cooperation by being frank in answering their questions and providing all they needed in terms of files, books, documentations, equipments and guiding them in facilities visitations.

To ease their mission on the need for an improved academic excellence of the College and in line with the global order, they divided themselves into groups based on areas of academic specialization.

The team were thorough in assessing the academic qualifications of the lecturers, the areas of their professional competence, the numerical strength of the students taking into accounts department by department, teaching equipments and aids, the laboratories, computers and internet connectivity, their workability and contemporary conformities.

They took critical look at the classrooms and its accommodation of the students strength as well as the facilities in the classrooms like the kind of writing board, desk, chairs, fans, air conditioners etc, as well as practical timely teaching demonstration by some lecturers.

They were too concerned on the school’s and departmental libraries especially the e- libraries, their interest in the libraries were wholistic just as the computers and internet sections.

They were also meticulous on staff office allocations and conveniences, the school environment, teaching and learning equipments and instruments with emphasis on contemporaries. They inspected the college’s building infrastructures both existing and ongoing. They equally inspected the environment and facilities at both the male and female hostels.

They equally showed concern on the College’s plant house and generating sets. They asked questions and seek clarifications mostly from lecturers, Dean’s and Heads of Departments. It was a glorious too many facility inspections.

No doubt, the team were highly impressed with what they saw on the ground and the caliber of skills employed by the College of Education, that was described barely two years ago by one of the Governing Council member as ” a glorified secondary school with lecturers offices under the trees”.

It’s obvious that the NCCE accreditation team have come, seen and gone, certainly one thing that they will always remember is that the christening of Imo State College of Education, Ihitte Uboma as a citadel of academic excellence, is after all, not a fluke.