By Joseph Joy, Shedrack Eze, Ogechi Chika, Blessinhg Nwokpkwu

Faculty Deans have lauded the management of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT on the introduction of a decentralised system during the 42^nd edition of the University’s matriculation held in February this year.   

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie announced prior to the matriculation ceremony held on February 23 that the system would be decentralised to allow faculties coordinate their activities.  

The decision received massive goodwill from both students, parents, lecturers and now deans who are voicing their support for the continuation of the exercise.

Speaking in separate interviews, the Deans of Faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities and Environmental Sciences, Professors Nicholas Attamah and Austine Emenike, respectively, were unanimous in praising the university management and calling for the system to be retained going forward.

The Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Prof Nicholas Attamah, who described the Vice-Chancellor as “Talk-and-do” VC, said that students, staff and parents were marvelled at the new system and poured encomium on the VC and his management team for such policy change.

“The decentralised system was very effective and I pray the Vice Chancellor, (I call him talk and do Vice Chancellor, because he is so innovative in what he is doing in this University) retains it. The students and staff and even parents were marvelled. The system had so many advantages.

“It made students to come very close to their lecturers and understand what is meant by matriculation. They now feel the impacts of what matriculation is all about.

“Secondly, it brought the parents very close to the guardians of their children and their wards. That day, when we finished the matriculation, I made sure that parents go to their respective children’s departments, to see where their children are schooling, where they are attending classes. Assess the nature of the offices of the lecturers that are teaching their children and the facilities that are there.

“The rich ones among the parents can say ‘no, let’s help this department to uplift the infrastructure that are there’. So, there are a lot of advantages.

“Parents who do not know the dean, now know who he/she is, his office, they now have access to the HoD’s office. They now have physical contacts and a link. If his child is not behaving well, he can always call the Head of Department, one of the lecturers, the Dean and introduce themselves to get information about their children.

“The matriculation also afforded the students to come very close to their lecturers because if it is the normal way, the students would normally be somewhere, they do not know who their lecturers are, who their deans are. They are just there. But for the last matriculation we saw that almost all the students were there and participated fully. The older students came out to tell them what they are experiencing and the mistakes they made during their year one so they will not repeat them.

“Such things would not happen when it is done by the school authority centrally. But now it afforded students the opportunity to get close to themselves, older students, their lecturers, dean and all the faculty members.

“So, this decentralization of matriculation is one of the innovations that the Vice-Chancellor brought that will remain with him forever because he has started it and it shouldn’t end with him.

“It is one of the best practices of the administration and we thank the VC for his innovative mind,” Prof Attamah concluded.

On her part, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Dean, Prof Austine Emenike expressed similar view

“It was a new policy direction and we commend the management for their ingenuity. The decentralized system afforded the parents and students great opportunity to know and interact with their lecturers. The parents visited the departments and made their comments.

“It should be retained. We did our best and I believe that if the system is retained, there would be much improvements going forward,” Prof Emenike said.