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NO LONGER A PRIVATE AFFAIR! [Sun, The (Nigeria)](Sun, The (Nigeria) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) •Novena University student rules the world at Middlesex University, London, UK Tessy Oghale Askia, an ex-student of Novena University, Ogume, Delta State, the university established to meet the yearnings and aspirations of youths who are unable to get opportunities for education in the existing state and Federal universities, has emerged the best graduating student (with Distinction or first class) in her M.Sc. programme at Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom, while Vivian Nwofor, another ex-student of the university has won the Dr. Murtala Scholarship, which is annually awarded to only one Nigerian student (out of about 80 which apply every year) for postgraduate study at London Metropolitan University. With it, she hopes to read for M.Sc in Biomedical Sciences. Commonly known as London Met, the university was established on 1 August 2002 following the merger of the University of North London (formerly the Polytechnic of North London, established in 1896) and London Guildhall University (formerly the City of London Polytechnic, established in 1848). The scholarship, set up in 2008/09, in conjunction with the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, in honour of the late General Murtala Muhammed has, previously, been awarded to eight Nigerian students, based on their academic excellence, excellent English (i.e.IELTS score) and other achievements (including work experience and voluntary work), Alex Malley, Head, International Recruitment, London Metropolitan University, International Office, revealed in an online chat with Education Review. "Vivian impressed the award panel with her excellent academic achievements (CGPA 4.79 for B.Sc) as well as with her enthusiasm for the subject,"Malley added. "In her well rounded appliction, she demonstrated that she deserves the scholarship for her academic work as well as personal achievements." "I feel elated and at the same time honoured to be considered for this award, though it covers just my tuition," Vivian said, "but it's a huge one for me of which I am grateful." Call this and Tessy's feat a double good luck take and celebration for Novena University university and nobody will dare sue you! Tessy who read Computer Science at Novena, graduating in September 2009, with a Second Class Upper degree (2.1), was later admitted into Middlesex, (established in 1973-74 as Middlesex Polytechnic before gaining university status in 1992), to read her Masters in Business Information Technology. "I did an online search on universities in the UK that offers IT-related courses on an M.Sc level and Middlesex was among the search results," she told Education Review, in an online chat, on how she gained admission into the prestigeous university that has on its staff the likes of David Turner, the Emeritus Professor best known for inventing combinatory graph reduction and for designing and implementing three seminal functional programming languages SASL, KRC and Miranda, Dr Roman Belavkin, the Russian electronic music artist and computer scientist, known as Solar X and Manny Lehman the world-acclaimed computer scientist known for his Lehman's Laws of Software Evolution. "I researched further into the university and the courses they offer and discovered that they offer an M. Sc course which was of great interest to me. I got contact information from the website and I contacted the regional office representative in Lagos and they helped me with the whole process from gaining admission to processing my visa." What we like about Novena Although Tessy, from Uzere town in Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State, told Education Review that she met and made friends with many graduate students from Asia (Indians and Bangladesh), few whites and fellow blacks, mostly from African countries, while at Middlesex, the lady who is, at the moment, reading for her PhD in Health Informatics at the University of Reading (established in 1892 as a University College before gaining full university status in 1926), all the same, nurses some fond memories of her days at Novena, her alma mater. Asked about what she likes about the university and how her study there helped in making her who she is today, she talked about the institution's "quality of teaching, support and the easy and comfortable access to lecturers. My lecturers were so amazing, very easy to approach and were always ready to render help academically, so it was very easy for me to build good relationships with them. When you find it difficult to understand a topic, you have the opportunity to meet with them in their office to explain further, in a more simple and comfortable way that is easy to understand. This is one of the great opportunities I had in Novena University and I'm so glad I took advantage of it." Looking back, do you regret your decision to study there, you asked her. "No…not at all," she answered. "It was and still is one of my best experiences. It is a good university that offers an excellent environment for learning and growth along with great support for career focus and progression." "Sure! I make bold to say that Novena is the right place to be if you desire standard and to come out a well-grounded graduate. I and so many others doing well out there are living testimonies," Vivian added. "I like the fact that the academic standard is high. Contrary to beliefs out there, it is a private university where you work hard to earn the kind of grades you want. Also, the accommodation compared to so many other universities is superb." A university of repute Asked how they came to know about the university in the first place as to prefer studying in it than in either the state or Federal university, Tessy recalled that, "I was informed by my father who admitted that he saw the advert of the university in one of Nigerian newspapers" while Vivian who was admitted into Novena in 2008 to read Biochemistry and who graduated in 2012, remembered that "an old friend of mine, Deborah, who is a mass comm. graduate of Novena University, suggested it to me at a time when you needed to know someone or to have a lot of money in order to gain admission into any of Nigerian universities. But my kind of results (JAMB and WAEC) was all Novena needed to give me admission, hence, I made it my choice." When asked the same question that was posed to Tessy: to what extent the university helped in making her what she is today, she answered: "I would say to a very large extent. I had caring and unrelenting but tough lecturers who were there every step of the way and, to be candid, I believe I'm not the only one with this report because that and more is what Novena offers you." Tessy and Vivian's words echo those of Chuks Ochonogor, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the university, when, he in an interview with Saturday Sun, early this year, talked about his vision in setting up the university: "At Novena University, our goal is service. The objective is to build in the student a culture of self-discipline, skill acquisition, knowledge and service to humanity." From 25 students at inception in 2005, today, Novena boasts over 2500 students and 500 members of staff. The proposed exchange programme In another development, the leadership and governing council of the University of Northern Philippines, Vegan City, was in Nigeria recently to woo Tansian University with a proposed exchange programme which will cut across all circles of academic engagements. The institution's Vice-President for Students, and External Affairs, Dr Mario Pedro Obrero, who led a team, explained that the exchange programme will be of mutual benefit to the two institutions, and by extension, both countries. He revealed his institution's readiness to strike a deal with the faith-based university, on a long list of academic programmes that includes architecture, political science, biology, psychology, health sciences like community health, medicine, fine arts, law, business education courses like accountancy, human resource management, hotel and restaurant administration, engineering, computer science, social work, criminology and information technology. "We are also looking at developing online learning programmes," he said. "For example, we have already started a learning programme with Thai students. Some of students are there to handle some courses for one week and then the rest will be done through online learning. We call that blended learning. So I hope that our collaboration will yield good fruits. We have a lot of disciplines that's why we call our university a comprehensive university. Right now we have a lot of foreign students studying medicine, and other academic programmes in our university, and they cut across first degree, master's degree, and PhD." Qualitative academic programme Responding, the Public Relations Officer of Tansian University, Mr. Chidi Peters Okorie noted that the institution will embrace the proposal only after ensuring that it is in line with the standard set out by the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC). The university, he insists, cannot afford to breech the trust reposed in it by the commission; hence it will scrutinize the content of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) painstakingly. "After looking at their Memorandum of Understanding, we will send it to the Nigeria Universities Commission and as soon as it approves it, we shall sign it and send it back to the University of Northern Philippines and the collaboration begins. It could be in terms of staff exchange, students exchange; of training, conferences, and seminars; facilities, research, etc. We will look at those areas of possible collaboration." Earlier in his speech, while welcoming the team in his office, the Vice-Chancellor of Tansian University, Prof. Chima Boniface Iwuchukwu, eulogized the nation's education system while noting that the country is making headway in improving on her standards. He added that the institution under his watch is making positive efforts to ensure that his students are armed with requisite entrepreneurial skills. "This is one of the private universities that are aspiring to be the best in the world starting from Nigeria," he said. "We place premium on entrepreneurial programmes in this university. We don't want to produce graduates who have only certificates with nothing in their heads. We are working round the clock to give our students the very best we can. Our interest is to make our graduates employers of labour," he said. Echoing the same view, Mr. Venacious Chinyereugo Ogueze, the Director, Directorate of Exchange, and Linkage Programmes of the university regretted that many universities in the country churn out thousands of graduates annually without equipping them with requisite entrepreneurial skills to cope up with life's challenges. "We have innumerable number of universities all over the country, and each of them is busy mass producing graduates into the labour market," he lamented. "What happens to them thereafter, nobody cares. But the managers of Tansian University want to give future to our teeming youths through qualitative, sound academic programmes that can equip them with requisite skills. The vision of this university is that its graduates will never remain unemployed six months after their graduation. To that end, the management of this university is doing everything within its powers to ensure that her students are well-equipped so that on graduation they will find opportunity either here or there." The journey to Singapore In a related development, Grace High School, Lagos, has sponsored her students to Singapore on exchange programme in furtherance of the school's commitment to turning out well-groomed students who would make meaningful contribution to the advancement of Nigeria and African society at large. Speaking recently during the arrival of the students of the school who had been away on a two-weeks exchange programme in Singapore, the School Administrator, Mrs. Tokunbo Edun, stated that education has gone beyond rudimentary ability to read and write to production of complete personalities who can make positive impact and turn the society around for good. "Our students can only achieve much if they interact with the best from other climes. At Grace High School, we understand that the world is now a global village and therefore prepare our students to have global outlook, which is one of the reasons for our international exchange programme with top schools across the globe." Mrs. Edun explained that the exchange programme is designed to challenge their students to be the best they can, particularly because of the school's belief that a society is a reflection of her educational system. While in Singapore the students were involved in both academic exercises and other extra-mural activities. The post NO LONGER A PRIVATE AFFAIR! appeared first on The Sun News. (c) 2014 The Sun Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |