SIWES begins zonal engagement with new desk officers

By Inuwa Hamza Yunusa
SIWES in Kaduna

The Directorate of Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has engaged the North-west and North-east New Desk Officers at the Kaduna Study Centre to a 1-day zonal orientation exercise.

The orientation exercise aims to provide a continuous enlightenment about the operation of the SIWES in order to greatly enhance the performance of the staff in service delivery to students.

Speaking at the event, the SIWES director of the university, Prof. Joy Eyisi, represented by the Deputy Register, SIWES, Mr. Elvis Otamare, said the scheme is part of the approved Benchmark for Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) for some degree programmes.

“It is a compulsory skill training programme designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice in engineering and technology, science, agriculture, management and other professional education programmes in Nigerian tertiary institutions,” Otamare said.

While applauding the participants for attending the event, despite all the challenges, he appreciated the Kaduna Study Centre for ensuring a favorable and conducive atmosphere that aided the smooth conduct of the exercise.

Otamare, therefore, urged the new desk officers to work hard and ensure that the university continues to produce best graduates, since they would be the ambassadors of the school at the end of their academic programmes.

In his welcome address earlier, the director, Kaduna Study Centre, Dr. Aminu Umar, applauded the participants for passing through difficult terrain to be part of the event, urging them to listen carefully to the deliberations on the roles of SIWES in ensuring that the university trains its students to become good graduates.

The centre, the director said, boasts of a fortified and peaceful environment for NOUN staff to regularly attend Kaduna Study Centre for events. "We have a beautiful environment that people can come and brainstorm and get the best out of it."

He bemoaned at the attitudes of students, who take the SIWES programme “as a joke; there is no any programme better in the university than the SIWES.

“These are days of ensuring that those things learnt are being translated into perspective and practice, and the only instrument we have in achieving that is the department that is responsible for this activity -  SIWES.”

He thanked the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters and the director, SIWES, Prof. Joy Eyisi for making the event possible to hold at Kaduna Study Centre.

General overview of SIWES in National Open University of Nigeria and Step-wise procedure for SIWES in the university, were the topical issues discussed by Mr. Tyokagher Joseph and Mr. Patrick Iduma all from SIWES.

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