MKPAT ENIN
The Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning (NAEAP) has urged the Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) to establish the Department of Educational Administration and Planning at the institution.
The Akwa Ibom State coordinator of the association, Dr Princewill Egwuasi, stated this during a courtesy call on the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Nse Essien, at the main campus of the institution, Ikot Akpaden, Mkpat Enin Local Government.
The coordinator of the association who told the vice chancellor that the department which should begin with programmes at the postgraduate level with subsequent inclusion of other level studies, would create a platform for the dissemination of knowledge on researches and practice in educational administration and planning.
Dr Egwuasi explained that the department would equally offer alternative opportunities for students in the state to be trained in educational administration other than the University of Uyo.
He pointed out that on the establishment of the department, AKSU would benefit from the promotion of greater collaboration among the federal, state ministries of education, educational parastatals and other relevant bodies involved in the administration and planning of educational programmes in the country.
Dr Egwuasi said the department would increase the presence and visibility of the institution among the league of world-class universities and educational administration and planning as well as the hosting of national and international conference,workshops and seminars on educational administration among other benefits.
The state coordinator of the group told the vice chancellor that NAEAP has been in existence for over 42 years in Nigeria and it remained the only body for all registered and professionallytrained educational administrators who became members based on the courses studied at the tertiary levels, or by associate, corporate and international membership.
He noted that the aims were not limited to fostering close links among those concerned with the improvement of educational administration and planning at all levels of education.
Egwuasi informed Professor Essien that the inauguration of the state branch of NAEAP would come up in March, and Akwa Ibom State University would be expected to play a key role at the event to ensure its success.
Responding, the vice chancellor, Professor Nse Essien, said he was happy with the initiative of the association in seeking ways of improving the quality and content of education in the country, stressing that the aspect of educational administration and planning remained critical to the educatiomal development in Nigeria.
He said as an administrator, he had taken note of the call byNAEAP that the institution should establish Department of Educational Administration and Planning at the postgraduate level. He described the request as a step in the right direction, saying that if the standard of education must be improved for effective and efficient service delivery, there was need for administrators to be fully equipped.
Professor Essien directed the director of School of Continuing Education, Professor Francisca Anijobi Idem, to develop a proposal and submit to him to see how the department could be set up for the commencement of the programme at the university.
He told the association that in view of the fact that there were several illegal schools and institutions operating in the state without trained administrators, NAEAP needed to carry out sensitization to make sure that the right people were put at the proper places to serve the system for productivity.
Professor Essien maintained that education should be properly planned, adding that functional education could never be achieved by accident if the child must be actually groomed for service in the country.
The vice chancellor assured the association that the institution would assist it to ensure that the inauguration scheduled for March was realized.
The registrar, Dr Ebi Eno Ibanga, and the director of School of Continuing Education, Professor Francisca Idem, said they had been members of the association for a long time and were happy with management decision to set up the Department of Educational Administration and Planning because of the role it would play in building the capacity of administrators in the country.
High point of the visit was the decoration of the vice chancellor, the registrar, Dr. Ebi Eno Ibanga; and the director, School of Continuing Education, Professor Francisca AnijobiIdem; as members of NAEAP.
Those in attendant were the deputy vice chancellor (Administration), Professor Ita Oboho; the bursar, Dr Jacob Eseneyen; the public relations officer, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Mr Akaninyene Ibanga; and Mrs Iquo Ebong Okon, among others.
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