By Clinton Awhawha
The Vice Chancellor, Delta State University Abraka, Professor Andy O. Egwunyenga has said, the school will continue to embark on projects that will enhance effective teaching and learning.
Professor Egwunyenga stated this today, Wednesday in a media chat to usher in ceremonies and programmes for the 15th Convocation for graduation and award of Degrees, Diplomas and Prizes to deserving graduands of the institution held in the school premises. He said, so far, the institution has built the faculty of Management Science saying, the project started on the April 2022 and it would be commissioned on the 29th April, 2023.
According to him, the school has completed 3.2 kilometres road network in the school permanent site just as he said, the school tarred internal road in the faculty of Engineering and the Provost’s Office, Oleh Campus of the school.
Speaking further, Professor Egwunyenga said the school has strengthened its academic programmes by securing a full accreditation for all the forty (40) programmes presented to the National University Commission (NUC) in November/December, 2022.
He said:”Securing of full accreditation for all the forty (40) programmes presented to National Universities Commission(NUC), in November/December 2022 Accreditation exercise. This happens to be the first time since the 31 years of existence of the Delta State University, Abraka, that full accreditation would be returned for forty(40) Programmes in one fell swoop. Now, all eighty(80) Programmes in the University have full NUC accreditation status.No interim accreditation, no denial for any programme. This again, is unprecedented in the history of the university and has only been made possible by the unwaving determination of the University Administration and the entire staff to advance and reposition Delta State University, Abraka for national and global recognition”
The VC said approval was also sought and obtained from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria(MDCN) to raise the University’s Admission Quota for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery(MBBS) programme from 75-120. According to him, this is to reduce admission pressure that qualified students from Delta and neighbour states go through in getting admitted to study Medicine and Surgery at the school (Delsu).
Professor Egwunyenga said the school has got the approval of Benneth’s Joint Canadian -Israel Research programme to be conducted in the state university saying that the research team is led by Dr. Ben Azu, Head of Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences adding that his research interest spans the study of Neuropsychiatry(Neurodevelopment and neurodegerative disorders) and neuropharmacology, brain diseases among others.
The VC said the school embarked on international students fees to boast internationalization of the university adding that, the school has approved international school fees undergraduates and post- graduate programmes as it is a source of IGR and would help in school ranking and internationalization of the school.
The VC said the school embarked on exploration of new culturable aquatic species from the school and the development of aquafeed for sustainable aquaculture aimed at bridging the gap between fish demand domestic production as well as non-readily availability of Tilapia feed by signing two MoUs with National Taiwan Ocean University(NTOU), Keelung and Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) to actuate a tripartite partnership between Delsu , NTOU and NIOMR.
Other projects according to the VC include: Poultry project, Trance Transboarder-project, Directorate for agricultural research and plant conservation, capacity building and innovation- all to ensure that institution’s compliance with the university global best practice among others.