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Chime Pledges to Promote Academic Excellence
The Enugu State Governor, Barrister Sullivan Chime, has indicated the readiness of his administration to partner with educational institutions in the state with a view to ensuring academic excellence that will enable the students compete favorably with students from other universities in the globe.
Governor Chime who is Visitor of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), made his feelings known over the weekend on the occasion of the 15th convocation ceremony of the university maintained that no responsible government be it in developed or developing countries of the world can toy with issues relating to education.
Represented on the occasion by the commissioner for education, Dr. Simon Ortuanya, Gov. Chime stated that in the South East where education still remains the biggest industry, the importance of quality education cannot be over emphasized.
He, however, urged management of the university to shift emphasis from development of infrastructure to skill acquisition in order to graduate students that can be self – employed, especially now that unemployment in the country is on the high side.
During the ceremony that attracted distinguished personalities within and out side the state, the university admitted a total of 12,703 graduands into various First Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, Masters and Ph.D Degrees, having fulfilled all the requirements set out by the institution.
According to him the Vice Chancellor of ESUT, Professor Cyprian O. Onyeji said, the break down of the number is as follows, First Degrees- 11,634, Postgraduate Diploma-127, Masters-894, and Ph.D-48, adding that 3 graduated with First Class Honours, while 1,233 and 7,459 graduated in Second Class Upper and Second Class Lower Divisions respectively, while 64 graduands had unclassified degrees.
Professor Onyeji, used the occasion to pay special tribute to a former Pro-Chancellor of the university between 1987- 1988, when the school was called Anambra State University of science and Technology, literary giant, Professor Chinua Achebe, who passed on to glory in a US hospital on March 21, this year was part of it.
According to him, his tenure witnessed outstanding development that imparted magnificent international image on the university.