Ifeanyi Okechi, Enugu
Recently, some young inventors at the Government Technical College, Enugu, accentuated that the Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led administration’s investment in science, technical and vocational education was yielding tangible fruits with the “Gburugburu car” they designed and named after the governor.
The state has also proved its mettle with the numerous awards it has won in science, technology and innovation.
Ugwuanyi has always reiterated the resolve of his administration to produce students whom upon leaving school would be self-employed and also employers of labour, having been sufficiently equipped with the necessary skills to drive technology, innovations and inventions for wealth creation and employment generation.
Daily Sun gathered that the Government has indeed continued to match its words with action with the building and revamping of technical workshops and laboratories across the technical colleges in the state.
It was in that regard that there was celebration galore at Ezinese Mgbidi in Awgu Local Government Area, last Thursday, when the Governor inaugurated the renovated technical workshop and laboratory buildings at the Government Technical College, there.
Represented by the Executive Chairman of the Enugu State Science, Technical and Vocational Schools Management Board (STVSMB), Sir Obi Kama, he said such projects were aimed at keeping the flag of technical/vocational education flying in the state and also for the sustenance of skills acquisition needed for employment generation.
He commended the school management, the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe P. Uzochukwu and indeed the entire Ezinese Mgbidi community for their laudable decision to invest the N5 million fund for the state government’s community development project in renovating the science laboratory and carpentry workshop for the school children.
Kama, who also assured of equipping the workshops and laboratory with all the needed tools, noted that the initiative which he described as worthy, will justify the huge successful future of the children. He urged the principal to work assiduously to return the lost glory of the school by bringing it back to its original form in 1979 when the administration of the then Governor of Old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, established it.
Harping that he would want a situation where students from other states would attend the school because of its high standard, Kama assured that the board shall make sure that the government attended to their needs.
Singing the praises of Governor Ugwuanyi to high heavens, the school said it would deploy the facilities for the purposes they were put in place.
Its outgoing principal, E.U. Ekwegbo, thanked the governor for his unending support to the school, and also the board Chairman who he said, bailed them out of an ugly situation of inability to pay for NECO re-accreditation after they were turned down by stakeholders and some parents.
He disclosed that the situation affected the school tremendously because it lost a good number of students to other neighbouring schools for the NECO registration.
However, Ekwegbo pleaded with the government to provide the school with quality technical teachers that will handle the new laboratory and workshop while also asking the governor to assist them in completing the school’s ongoing electrical, fabrication and welding structure.
He assured that the management was willing to work with the government to better the school and compete with other technical schools in the state.