…Plans to make University affordable for the less-affluent, underway – VC, Prof. Madu
By Stanley Okehie
No fewer than 152 students have been admitted into the Claretian University of Nigeria for the 2022/2023 academic session.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, VRF Prof. Wenceslaus Madu, CMF disclosed this to newsmen during the second matriculation ceremony of the institution held over the weekend.
According to the VC, the University began its academic activities in November 2021 with 71 students drawn from 11 states of Nigeria and in the current academic year, the students’ population has risen to 223.
Prof. Madu noted that the university has an eye on innovation and through its consultancy services unity, has commenced short courses and training to equip students with digital skills as well as, the training of basic health care workers through several professional certification courses in nursing and primary healthcare to address the skill gap as a result of the brain drain ravaging Nigeria.
“The university is mindful of the mindset that private and faith-based universities are not affordable to the less affluent”, Madu noted while informing that the university has developed a cost-sharing student work-program, through which students can earn some money to support themselves while studying at the university.
Whilst boasting that Claretian University of Nigeria has the aggregate lowest school fees in the entire federation without compromising quality and excellence, Prof. Madu also promised to establish additional cost-sharing programmes to make cost of attending the university affordable to more people through grants, tuition discounts, students’ loans and endowed scholarship programmes.
He hoped that graduates of the university will begin early to make positive contributions to the wellbeing of the society.
Prof. Madu reminded parents at the occasion, that the religious and spiritual upbringing of students play significant roles in shaping their moral values and orientation and however, assured them that the university will be furnishing them with periodic progress report about their wards, while still inculcating virtues of discipline, honesty, humility, respect and self-reliance on them.