The Vice Chancellor of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, yesterday, said that the University would relaunch itself into technological fabrications and commercialization of its products.
Prof. Okolie, said that the University has signed Memoranda of Understanding, MoU, with reputable organisations and vendors to facilitate entrepreneurial reinvention in the University.
He stated this during a press briefing to commence activities for the 19th convocation ceremony of the University for the 2021/2022 academic session scheduled for November 18, 2023.
He also stated that the Management of the University has placed more efforts on teaching and research with 60% emphasis on capacity building and strengthening of the employability of its graduates.
“Management will soon sign an MoU with Council of Entrepreneurs for Africa (COEFA), Ottawa, Canada on entrepreneurial reinvention. We intend to revolutionize teaching and research in ESUT with 60% emphasis on capacity building and strengthening the employability status of our graduands.
“Management is also working on MOU with a US service provider on automation in Engineering. Recall that we had set up a Centre of Excellence in Engineering and a high profile team of Town and the Gown is processing the template for effective implementation.
” The whole idea is to return to the old good days of fabrications, generation of patents and commercialization of our products. Management has also signed MoU with East-wing Aviation Institute, Emene, Enugu State.
“ESUT shall provide the Institute with facilities for the conduct of practical training in the Faculty of Engineering. Also Management has signed MoU with Cyber Infrastructure Ltd. on e-library service, publishing and management.
“Management is also processing an MOU with a Canadian University on staff and students’ exchange programmes. Particularly, both parties intend to create opportunities for Students who wish to spend one or two years in ESUT and complete their studies in Canada seamlessly Details shall be made public in due course.
While highlighting the challenges in the University, he said ESUT has porous boundaries and unrelenting incidences of encroachment and land grabbing in and around the Institution, pleading with Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State to take practical steps to approve the re-establishment of ESUT boundaries as well as contracting a firm to fence the University.
He equally said that the University is battling infrastructure deficit, inadequate funding, poor street lightening and epileptic power supply among other challenges.
He also announced that the Management and the Senate of the University selected five eminent personalities for Honorary Awards.
The Honorary Awardees include the Group Managing Director of COPEN Group, Rev. Surveyor Ugochukwu Chime; Mr. Osagie Okunbor; Mr. Ike Chioke; Prince Uchenna Umeukeje; and Emperor Baywood Chris Ibeh.
The Vice Chancellor who equally inspected research projects displayed by 11 faculties in the University said that the Management would liaise with consulting firms for engagement and collaborations in order to commercialize the research works.
While making his remarks during the project display, the Director of Academic Planning, ESUT, Prof. Chike Anibeze, said the University has demonstrated capacity to prcaticalize the theoretical knowledge being taught in the University.
He said that the Management would initiate some entrepreneurial interventions which would bring the research works to public domain.
Also, in his remarks, the Director, Research and Innovation, Centre of Excellence, ESUT, Associate Professor Emeka Nze, said the exhibitions were geared towards unveiling the research endeavours in the University in order to collaborate with the town to address societal problems.
He explained the exhibitions was the maiden edition and thanked the University Management for instituting such programme to provoke the research ingenuity of the personnel of the Institution.
A total of 11,377 graduands, comprising 9,085 first degrees; 465 postgraduate diplomas; 1,177 Masters’s degrees and 650 ph.Ds would be awarded in this 19th convocation.
Report by Chibuike Ezekwesili
News Editor: Okuh Ikeme
Published by, Okuh Ikeme.
