Learning Communities

The Center for Learning Communities in applying the First Year Experience ‘Doing-It-Differently’ (FYE-DID) Model addressees the vexed issue of Arabic students’ poor performances in compulsory General Studies subjects (language, science, technology and entrepreneurship education).

Professor Muhammad Nasir Maiturare, VC IBB University, Lapai checking documents of Lapai Literacy Clinic Foundation (LLCF) with Professor Rosemary Ogochukwu Igbo during the VC's visit to the centre on 15/6/2016.

ABIA NEW MEDIA, A CHAT WITH OSITA ANIEMEKA

A good foot forward in terms of dealing with unemployment for our youths and getting them to become self-employed and employers of labour is the hosting of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s South East Entrepreneurship Development Center (SEEDC) in Abia State. Since inception, all stakeholders have been on their toes to ensure the success of this programme. To this end, the Abia Newmedia team visited the Center once again to ascertain the level of development recorded. In this interview, Dr. Osita Aniemeka, Program Director, of the SEEDC, gave us titbits on how far they have gone into the programme.

Excerpts:

ABIA NEWMEDIA: Good afternoon sir. We've known you because we were here when the SEEDC programme kick-started. But for the interest of those who don't know you please introduce yourself once again.

Response: My name’s Osita Aniemeka.

ABIA NEWMEDIA: This is about halfway into the first Quadmester of the SEEDC programme; how well have you fared so far?

Response: We have done a couple of weeks into the Quadmester. Classes started on April 11, 2016 but before then the SEEDC team assembled on Tuesday Monday, March 29, 2016, day after Easter Monday. We are halfway into the Quadmester, the beginning of a program that spans three years in the first instance here in Abia State.

We have very exciting students; a good number of intelligent young men and women that have really impressed us. Our students here have dreams they want to fulfil through entrepreneurship. The combination of students’ passion and SEEDC’s drive to deliver demand driven entrepreneurship education mean that we have taken steps a positive direction. All we need to do is to creatively keep up with the tempo so that we won't be wasting time and energy.

ABIA NEWMEDIA: The industrial action is two days today. One of the effects is that there will be time lost. How will you make up the time?

Response: We were in class today when the representatives of organized labor came and asked that we close down. The strike’s nationwide and do what is in the interest of the students. We asked the students to go home and wait for when we reconvene classes.

We are going to do our best to make up for the lost days and that will take a little sacrifice from staff, faculty and students. And that also will depend on how long the strike lasts anyway. We may have to request that the students attend classes on weekends.

ABIA NEWMEDIA: Sir the last time we were here you mentioned that the students will have to go on internship in the course of the programme. From experiences of what students pass through while looking for where they will do their SIWES and even PPAs for the National Youth Service Corps members, it's not easy to get a placement. So sir, what are you doing differently to ensure smooth placement of these students in their different fields?

Response: We have already companies asking us to send people so that won't be a problem. We are also considering that because some of students come from the different parts of the five

Eastern States, we will be sending them out also for internship in their different States to bring some measure of comfort. We are looking at a relationship with the Directorate for Entrepreneurship Education at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike for students resident in Umuahia to get internship placements there. This week, we held a meeting with Professor Simeon Eze and his team at the Rural Sociology and Agricultural Extension Department of the same university, broaching professional exchange relationship. We are looking to expanding that relationship to the Office of the Vice Chancellor on a larger platform.

ABIA NEWMEDIA: You made mention of students coming from far distances. That indeed is a huge challenge as it relates to transporting themselves to and from school daily. Considering the hike in transportation charges now, are there plans to subsidize the transportation cost of those coming from far places?

Response: We are looking to the State to provide us with accommodation for the students. But while waiting for that, we have made local private arrangements with a student’s lodge system. We have a private party provide a students’ lodge scheme. The facility comes replete with all utilities including a standby generator. The students are very excited about it.

ABIA NEWMEDIA: Are you still considering establishing the SEEDC Mobile Training Program (MTP)?

Response: Yes, but because we are just starting, we can't launch that program now. We want to complete this first Quadmester successfully and the lessons we learn from the Quadmester will be used to grow other subsequent cohorts. Howbeit, the MTP is part of our mandate.

ABIA NEWMEDIA: What is the turn up of the participants like? What’s the number of your enrolees?

Response: We have six hundred and fifty six (656) students today, which I must say is the largest number any EDC has recorded for a take-off since 2008 when this program started. Our mandate is to train a minimum of five hundred (500) students each session and so you can imagine how it feels to have scored well above that at first cut. We have indeed achieved a great feat with our first outing.

ABIA NEWMEDIA: Would you be willing to share your challenges so far.

Response: Our challenges are teething and that is normal of any novel activity anywhere in the world. There are some issues here and there but we are happy that things are working out well. The Executive Governor of Abia as the Host State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has kept his word on raising the entrepreneurial quotient of South Eastern Nigeria. We have seen nothing but

seamless hosting and brilliant inputs from the First Office of the State and we pray that the tempo and trend never wane. He has promised to support SEEDC relentlessly and we are relying on him because he has kept his word since flag-off.

The State is assiduously looking into the outstanding issues that need to be put in place before the formal commissioning of SEEDC by the CBN Governor in the company of the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and the Governors of Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States. The State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Obinna Oriaku, has been a wonderful support too and so also is the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Dr (Mrs) Nnena Chikezie, in whose premises the SEEDC is currently domiciled. We have the full support of the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Barrister Martins Azubuike. He has followed the SEEDC from concept to completion of these threshold stages. The Branch Controller of Central Bank of Nigeria, Umuahia and the Development Finance Office have been of immense support and strategic in all their contributions.

Student Away Programme
The Student Away Program involves IBB University students studying abroad for not more/less than one semester in partner institutions. It also provides opportunities for students from all over the world to visit for not more/less than one academic semester, living in students hostels and attending classes to earn credits toward their graduation.

CLC exchange programs provide cultural experiences designed to provide practical training and education, and sharing of the history, culture, and traditions of home/destination institutions