Oscar Kambona
The Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu, has explained that the current reorganization in the college is aimed at repositioning the institution for greater efficiency.
It also clarified that the exercise is not targeted at any individual or group as insinuated by some online media.
In a statement signed by the Registrar of the college, Mr Ikechukwu Odoemelam, made it clear that the reorganisation which started about two years ago is still ongoing.
Odoemelam noted that the first phase involved academic staff who had worked more than ten years without the acquisition of higher degrees like master’s or doctorate as obtainable in similar institutions.
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The registrar regretted that in spite of the encouragement by both the state government and the management of the college, some lecturers have either refused or are unwilling to improve themselves academically.
Odoemelam said the college is also pushed to let some lecturers go because they don’t have enough students to teach.
“In the latest reorganization exercise, some lecturers had to go because they don’t have up to four students to teach in their assigned courses. There is no justification to retain such people when we are struggling to pay salaries,” he said.
He also lamented that some lecturers instead of leveraging on TETFUND sponsorship to further their studies are consumed by local politics and engaging in subversive activities against the state government.
“Currently, we have close to N1 billion available for academic improvement but the lecturers are not accessing it because some of them lack the required academic capacity while others are more interested in politics. TETFUND is threatening to recall the fund,” Odoemelam disclosed.
He advised both academic and non-academic staff to remain focused on their jobs and leave politics to professional politicians.
Odoemelam also counselled them to always abide by the rules governing their employment, saying that the reorganisation is a continuous exercise.
