Chukwuma in PH
The Director, Port Harcourt Study Centre of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Dr. Nnenna Nancy Chukwuma, has urged students of her centre not to rely on information they receive at business centres outside the premises of the study centre over authentic information emanating from the centre.
Chukwuma gave this charge during the 2022_2 Students’ Orientation programme organised by the management of the centre for its students on Thursday, October 6, 2022.
“Most of you don’t even come here for information. The moment you arrive the gate, one tout lures you to his hut out there; that is the end. From there you go home and say, ‘I’ve been to school today,’ when actually you didn’t even pass through the school gate that day,” the director said.
“The story you tell your colleagues and peddle about on various platforms is the story that that person who took you to his hut told you and not information that you received from the school,” she said, adding that students should not accept as authentic every information just because the paper bearing such information has the logo of the university.
“Anybody can have access to the university’s logo. If they can generate fake remita code to defraud people, what else can they not do? When you need information, come to this centre and meet your desk officer. If there is any need for further clarification, I am always available,” she said.
Chukwuma observed with dismay that students of Port Harcourt Study Centre were very indifferent to online facilitation. “Our facilitators are doing their best but you students, especially from Port Harcourt Study Centre, are very indifferent to online facilitation. You don’t participate. Meanwhile, you are the same people that will peddle the rumour that the university does not have facilitation for students.”
The director pointed out that in her own facilitation sessions, she had been asking students where they were linking up from and had observed that students said they were linking from Lagos, from Abuja, even remote locations like Gusau, but she has never heard any of the students say they linked from Port Harcourt.
She, therefore, charged them to take advantage of all the learning infrastructures put in place by the university to enhance seamless learning for the students.
The event featured sessions of enlightenment by the different units of the centre: the Registry, Account, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Counseling Unit as well as the desk officers representing the various faculties of the university.
The climax of the convocation was the interactive session which elicited a myriad of questions and corresponding answers.
