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By Njoku Macdonald Obinna
It is literally a harvest of unpublicized achievements and highly impressive developments at the Imo State School of Health and Management Sciences under the leadership of Pharm. Elthebert Okechukwu Obiasogu; the humble, unassuming, trustworthy, and most student- friendly Provost in the history of the institution.
Pharmacist Obiasogu who assumed office July 15, 2019, met practically nothing on ground, but rather dilapidated classrooms, uninspired students, leaking roofs, a school management with no sense of duty in stewardship, probity and accountability as no proper official documents were handed over to him as the new sheriff.
However, not being deterred by the teething challenges posed at him on assumption of office, giving the poor state of the school, unpaid salary arrears, lack of conducive learning environment which made the higher institution a glorified secondary school and inefficiency in the running of the school due to traditional approach to teaching.
Nonetheless, the visionary and purpose driven new Provost, Pharm. Elthebert Okechukwu Obiasogu, who was determined to change the age long ugly narrative at the institution started with a new approach, new dynamics in learning by motivating the lecturers to adopt a contemporary teaching method which is the current approach and technique used in the classroom to facilitate learning. Under his watch, there has been a shift away from traditional methods, such as lectures and rote memorization, towards more student-centered, interactive approaches. The effects of these contemporary teaching methods have been significant and far-reaching.
To facilitate this new method of learning, which is technology based, Pharm. Obiasogu built, equipped and furnished an ICT Centre with over 700 computers and E-library with over 300 computers. As ICT in education advances informatization, not only to teachers who support learning but also to students who will be able to acquire knowledge and skills of IT devices. The ICT literacy among students of the Imo School of Health & Management Sciences under Pharm. Elthebert Okechukwu Obiasogu enhances their research work as they acquire the necessary information and develop the ability to think for themselves.
During an independent project or facility tour at the Imo School of Health and Management Sciences, Amaigbo, Nwangele LGA, Njoku MacDonald Obinna , Publisher of 4thestatereporters , who participated in the tour was understandably overwhelmed that such number of projects could be executed in the school without any subvention or form of assistance from the state government, describing Obiasogu as a silent achiever, and one who is not giving to noise or publicity.
It is on record and also worthy to note that, before assumption of office as the new Provost of Imo School of Health and Management Sciences, the institution was paying mind-blowing fees to rent the needed items or materials for her practicals designated to the Community Health Department, Environmental Health Department and Health Information Management Department as the Demonstration Room was not equipped and a shadow of itself. A staff member of the school told this reporter that they usually travelled to Enugu, Nsuka, Asaba, etc, to source for the materials during practicals. A huge relief came their way when the proactive and goal- getter Provost, Pharm. Obiasogu took the bull by the horns as he spent millions of Naira acquiring brand new materials as well as furnishing the Demonstrated Rooms.
To enhance seamless operations of day to day running of the school, Pharm. Elthebert Okechukwu Obiasogu acquired a 150kv generating set to ensure uninterrupted power supply during school activities; mounted a gigantic security gate, tarred all the classrooms, staff rooms, ICT centre, E-learning Library, among other developmental stride. It is on record, therefore, that Pharm. Obiasogu, a very humble, unassuming and God fearing man, is running the most prudent, accountable, transparent and purpose – driven leadership which is a total departure from the previous administrations which were allegedly more interested in what they got rather than using the meagre resources internally generated from the school through students tuition fees to develop the institution.
Judging from the remarkable and impressive records of Pharm. Elthebert Okecchuku Obiasogu, his unrelenting commitment in setting a standard and meeting up the accreditation requirements for the following courses: Community Health, Public Health, Environmental Health, Nutrition & Dietetics and Health Information Management, and for an award of Higher National Diploma (HND) to the school , received the Delegation of National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), on Thursday, June 15th, 2023, for that singular purpose.
The Team was led by Sama’ila Tanko, Director, Monotechnics Department (Team Leader of the Delegation ), Murtala Aliyu Sakwa (Head, Health Technology Division of Monotechnics Department) alongside other members of the Board. The report of this academic August visit shall be disclosed after they have gone through the records available to them in pursuance of the functions specified for it by the relevant laws.
