ASUP Chairman, Provost, Others Back R/S College Of Health Science & Technology Amendment Bill

The Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in Rivers State College of Health Science and Technology, Comrade Promise Igoma, and the Provost of the College, Dr. Franklin Nlerum, were among others who backed an amendment bill for the College during a public hearing last Friday.

The bill for the amendment of the law setting up the College which is before the State House of Assembly was sponsored by Hon. Michael Chinda, member representing Obio/Akpor Constituency 2 in the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Comrade Igoma said that if the bill is passed into law, graduands of the College will be awarded National Diploma and Higher National Diploma and not certificates, adding that graduands of the College will also have direct entry into programmes in the Universities, saying that with certificates, it will be difficult to have direct entry into Universities.

He also said that the college should be domiciled and regulated by the Ministry of Education so that it could have external assistance and that its graduands could also participate in the National Youth Service Scheme.

The Provost of the college, Dr. Nlerum, said that if the bill is passed, it would enhance the status of the college for the State, the host community and the country at large.

The provost said: “What we intend to gain is that the school will improve in its responsibility to the staff. Currently, the staff are being retired prematurely but with this bill, they are going to retire at the right age, which is 65 years of age, thereby enabling them to contribute more to the development of the college as expected of people in the tertiary institutions”.

On his part, the Chairman of SSANIP in the College, Comrade  Emmanuel Nwala, said that the office of College Provost should be occupied only by lecturers of the college with doctoral degree and solicited that non-academic staff of the college should also retire at 65 years, like their colleagues in Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Port-Harcourt.

The President of the Students’ Union Government, Comrade Gote Reuben, applauded the proposed bill which he said if passed into law, will improve the lives of the youths of Rivers State, adding that graduands of the college could also go for National Youth Service Scheme.

Two past provosts of the college, Dr. Onyekwere and Dr.  Goodluck Azunwo, also said that if the bill is passed into law, it would open doors of opportunity for the school, the students, the host community, the State and the country as a whole.

Meanwhile, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice who was represented by Elizabeth Ogan, Esq, said that the bill proposes the repeal and re-enactment of the Rivers State College of Health Science and Technology Law of 2001, to reflect the modification of the name for the college, which when the bill is passed will read Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, and the provisions in line with current trends and best practices in the education sector.

Representatives of the host community of the College, Oro Owo, said that the House of Assembly should include a member of the host community in the governing board of the college, adding that the name of the community should reflect in the name of the college.

Hon. Michael Chinda, who expressed satisfaction with the public hearing, said that the college was not a one-man business and should not be treated as such, saying that as a tertiary institution, it should be regulated by both the State and Federal Ministries of Education.

This was against the position by the State Commissioner for Health, Hon. Princewill Chike, who argued that the Rivers State College of Health Science and Technology should be under the State Ministry of Health.

The House Committee Chairman on Education and member representing Degema Constituency, Hon. Farah Dagogo, said that the House would look into the bill, consult the Ministry of Justice and concerned organizations on how the bill could move forward.

Hon. Martins Amaewhule, Majority Leader of the House, who also represented the Speaker, Hon. Ikuinyi Owaji Ibani, expressed satisfaction with the attendance at the public hearing and promised that there would be a favourable decision on the bill as Hon. Adonye Diri also said that the House would study the memoranda submitted before it.