Rivers Education Varsity Needs N4bn …To Upgrade Facilities

Not less than N4billion is required to upgrade facilities and programmes in the new Rivers State University of Education in order to meet National Universities Commission (NUC) standards.

The figure was given by the Acting Vice Chancellor of the newly established university, Prof Rosemund Green Osahogulu while answering questions at The Tide Roundtable, a personality interview programme  organized by the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation  yesterday.

Though the institution was formerly affiliated to the University of Ibadan to run its degree programmes, Prof Osahogulu said with the passage of the bill elevating the institution, a five year programme has been unveiled to gradually break the bond and make it independent.

The acting vice chancellor said the process would be gradual since the school as it exists now has all it takes to take off as a university.

If the upgradement sails through, Prof Osahogulu was off the view that it would help attract foreign sponsoring, scholarship and international funding for the school.

Another challenge she further stated, include getting NUC license as to provide fresh accreditation of courses for the university, adding, “we have set up a committee for the development of a curriculum”.

On the staff strenght of the  university, she said currently the university has not less than 389 lecturers and that more 269 are to be added if a new recruitment exercise is completed.

Currently, she disclosed that the university has a staff strength of 1,019 including both academic and non-academic staff, while the institution has the admission capacity of 984 as against 2,500 as provided by NUC.

She explained that the school has checked its admission rate in conformity with NUC standards, stressing that with the upgradement admissions would grow in the next few years to meet up the status of a university.

Dr Ibi Erekosima, a Consultant Physician (right) cutting the tape to commission a health facility at the former site of the UPTH , old Port Harcourt Township, assisted by the Rivers State Health Commissioner, Dr Sampson Parker (centre), recently.