THE NATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012
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EDUCATION AUN FILE Don rejoins BoT PROF Robert Pastor of the American University (AU) in Washington, DC has rejoined the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, after some years of absence. Pastor was part of the committee that conducted a feasibility study in 2003 prior to the founding of AUN and played a crucial role in facilitating the partnership with AU. “Pleased to be re-joining the Board,” he commented, adding: "AUN is a success story. Today, the question is how to sustain and grow the university in every way. The students and faculty of AUN are not only fortunate to have a dynamic President and excellent senior administrators, but they are lucky to have such a prestigious and devoted Board. AUN has a promising future, and I'm delighted to be asked to be a part of that." Reacting to his return, AUN President, Margee Ensign, said: "We are all very grateful that he is willing to make the time to join us in forging the finest university in Nigeria."
Convocation holdsTuesday THE 2012/2013 academic year at the AUN will be flagged off on August 28 with the Fall 2012 Convocation and Pledge Ceremony to be addressed by Dr Kevin Quigley as keynote speaker. Quigley is the President of the National Peace Corps Association, a major non-profit organisation of returned Peace Corps Volunteers in the United States. He is also a member of the board of the American University of Afghanistan and past board member of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. He is also parttime faculty member at the School of Public International Affairs at George Mason University in Virginia. At the event, a plaque will be presented to Quigley for his outstanding service to humanity. Last Fall, Ambassador Terrence P. McCulley, the US envoy in Nigeria, inaugurated the 2011/ 2012 academic session, speaking on American-style education as a major source of his country's pride. The Convocation and Pledge Ceremony will bring to an end a weeklong orientation program scheduled for first-year students and their parents.
AUN Hotel opens THE AUN Hotel & Conference Center, Yola operated under the auspices of the American University of Nigeria, has fully opened its doors to guests. It partially started operation last May during the university's fourth Commencement Ceremony. The hotel boasts of 52 rooms 40 standard and 12 garden and VIP suites, a spa, hair salon, restaurant, lounge, gift shop, and gym. The swimming pool, tennis and squash courts of the AUN Club will be accessible to guests of the hotel. The hotel's conference centre designed to seat 400 people. The next phase of the development of the hotel is scheduled to be completed in the last quarter of this year.
Fayemi tours rehabilitated schools
•Ola-Oluwa School being renovated.
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OLA Bolaji was a pupil of Olaoluwa Muslim Grammar School, Ado-Ekiti over 20 years ago. When he visited the school for the first time on Tuesday, last week, he was pleasantly surprised to find two new buildings standing in the place of the dilapidated buildings which hitherto welcomed visitors to the old school. The school, which Bolaji is very proud of, has produced notable scholars across the length and breadth of the nation. He was happy to learn from the construction workers that the rehabilitation of the two buildings was part of the efforts of Dr Kayode Fayemi administration to transform the education sector. Over 100 schools across the state are being refurbished. When Fayemi inspected the work at Ilejemeje Community High School, Iye-Ekiti, pupils who were participating in the holiday coaching classes came out in large numbers to welcome him. They sang his praises and prayed that he should continue in the same vein for the restoration of the lost glory of the education sector. No doubt, many people visiting the state would praise the governor for his vision for the education sector. A few years ago, it was tales of woes in the sector. Enrolment in public schools dwindled due to neglect and the results of public school pupils in national examinations were poor. The efforts are part of recommendations of an education summit Fayemi organised on assumption of office in 2010 to address the problems. The summit came up with different recommendations for the basic, secondary and tertiary education. The report had identified lack of infrastructure in public secondary schools as one of the factors responsible for the dwindling fortunes of the education sector. The report noted that most schools had no good access roads, functional laboratories and libraries. To arrest the situation, the summit resolved that the government should undertake renovation of existing structures and perimeter fencing of schools, rehabilitation of access/intra-premises road network, employment of retired teachers as neighbourhood inspectors, in-ser-
• Personal Assistant to Ekiti State Governor, Mr. O'seun Odewale; Governor Kayode Fayemi; Mr Kelekun; and Chairman, Ekiti State Teaching Service Commission, Chief Bayo Adeniran, inspecting the new buildings in OlaOluwa Muslim Grammar School. By Ifedayo Sayo
vice training, seminars and conferences for school teachers. While the employment of neighbourhood inspectors is being implemented, the government delayed the rehabilitation of schools until the pupils vacated for the long holidays. Immediately schools closed last month, 100 out of the 183 secondary schools across the state were placed under the first phase of "Operation Renovate All Schools" programme. The contractors have until early September to complete and hand over the buildings which is costing the government N2.2billion. The contractors pulled down old and dilapidated school buildings and replaced them with new ones. In the second phase, the remaining 83 schools will be rehabilitated. To ensure that the projects are completed on time, a Bureau of Special Projects was established in the
office of the governor, headed by a Special Adviser, Mr Bayo Kelekun. As a demonstration of his passion for the programme, Fayemi is supervising the rehabilitation in the 100 schools. On Tuesday and Wednesday last week, Fayemi in company of Kelekun inspected 37 of the schools to get first hand information about how the contractors were handling the projects. He had warned that his administration expected nothing but good jobs. This accounted for the careful selection of the contractors to ensure that only those that can deliver within the short time stipulated by the governor were picked. At Olaoluwa Muslim Grammar School, the Governor praised the contractor for a good job. He noted that many were skeptic that the programme would succeed given the short time stipulated for implementation. However, with
OKO POLY to establish mechatronics department
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HE Rector, Federal Polytechnic Oko, in Anambra State, Prof Godwin Onu, has called for more funding for the execution of 2012 Capital projects at the institution. He said the institution plans to establish Department of Mechatronics. Onu spoke while receiving officials of the Federal Ministries of Education and Finance who came to monitor the first and second quarters of the 2012 capital project ex-
From Nwanosike Onu, Awka
ecution in the school. He commended the efforts of the Federal Government in uplifting the status of technical education. He decried the delay in the release of funds, noting that this had stunted infrastructural development in the polytechnic. According to the Rector, "we are aware of government's efforts to ensure judicious use of funds", but
the delay in the release of funds for capital projects constrain completion of projects on time". Onu disclosed that the polytechnic had, among other things, in the 2013 budget, planned for the establishment of the Department of Mechatronics. This, he said, would be a meeting point for Mechanical, Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He added that the cheapest machine costs about $1 million (N160 million) to acquire.
properly planning, he decided to give the idea a trial. With the rehabilitation, Fayemi said he expected an increase in enrolment in public schools. At Ilejemeje Community High School, Iye-Ekiti Fayemi told the pupils hailing him to face their studies so that the objective of the rehabilitation would not be in vain. He assured them he was committed to ensuring they have conducive atmosphere to learn, adding that the facilities being put in place can compare favourable with those in the private schools. He said the huge investment in education was informed by his desire to place the state on the top of the medals table of states with excellent result in national examinations. Besides the rehabilitation, the state government has procured 40,000 units of tables and chairs for distribution to schools to usher in a new era of comfort for the students. He urged the teachers and head teachers in the schools to imbibe the culture of maintenance to ensure that the infrastructure being provided keep for years to come. He also admonished the teachers to plant trees near the buildings, adding that horticulturists would be contracted to assist in this regard. • Ifedayo Sayo is the Senior Spe-
cial Assistant on Special Media to the Ekiti State Governor.