FCET Umunze Debunks Strike Rumour, Holds Matriculation

Uchechukwu Nnaike

The management of the Federal College of Education (Technical) Umunze, Anambra State has refuted the fake report of three-week warning strike by the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).
Some online reports had quoted the Chairman, COEASU, FCET Umunze, Dr. Churchill Okonkwo of asking parents to withdraw their children from the college because the lecturers had commenced 21 days warning strike.

Contrary to the fake news, the college on Friday, August 26, 2022 held its joint matriculation ceremony, with a large number of teaching staff, including deans, heads of departments, coordinators of programmes and other categories of teaching staff in attendance.
About 562 students were admitted into the degree and NCE programmes of the institution. Sone of the parents that attended the matriculation ceremony hailed the college for running an uninterrupted academic calendar and empowering students for a brighter and rewarding future.
Addressing the Parents Management Forum before the matriculation ceremony, the Provost, Dr. Tessy Okoli expressed satisfaction with the peace enjoyed in the institution. She maintained that the college has continued to graduate students in record time.
She said the students have already started their first semester examination, which would continue seamlessly next week. She advised parents to disregard the fake report of strike, which was intended to cause panic and incite students’ unrest. 

The provost further advised journalists to always verify their reports to avoid misleading the public. She noted that students that absent themselves from school during the examination period would have themselves to blame.
 
In her address at the matriculation ceremony, the provost said her long- term goal in the college to make the institution a centre of excellence remains sacrosant. She promised that her management team would continue to provide the required facilities and environment for excellence to thrive.

She congratulated the students on their successful admission into the college, which was rated the best Federal College of Education in 2019 by SERVICOM.  According to her, the college pays serious attention to students’ attendance to lectures.
“Students must have 75 per cent attendance to lectures to qualify to write the course examination. I believe you have copied the first semester exam timetable. There will be no disruption of this exam timetable. Students are advised to follow the timetable and be at the examination hall on time. Students who play truancy during lectures or absent themselves from exam should prepare to fall,” she warned.

Also speaking, the Vice- Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Charles Esimone, said the matriculation ceremony marked the formal admittance of the new students into the degree programme of the university, domiciled in FCET Umunze.
He explained that the degree programme domiciled at FCET Umunze meets the high academic standard in curricula and other requirements of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
“For your stay in the Federal College of Education (Technical) Umunze to successfully end with the acquisition of a degree of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, you owe certain obligations to the college, your parents and yourselves,” he said.
The  vice-chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof Frederick Odibo, summarised these obligations to include the payment of fees, attendance to lectures, academic honesty, and avoidance of cultism.
He explained that the quality of a university’s teaching-learning process lies on the performance of its graduates in the work place. He further argued that the quality of Students’ output would depend on how seriously they take their studies.

The highpoint of the matriculation ceremony was the formal admission of the students into their various academic programmes of the institution and signing of the admission matriculation vow.