Godfrey Okoye University Enugu Hosts First International E- Conference on Training and Workshop on Zoom

By Bethel Okoye

Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu will host an international Zoom conference training and workshop for teaching and non-teaching staff of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

In a press statement released by the University’s acting Public Relations Officer, Godwin Ukah Umeh, the conference, which will take place on the 10th of June 2020 at 11 am (West African Time) will feature experts on e-learning from Switzerland, Austria, Germany and other parts of the world.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Rev. Fr. Prof. Christian Anieke, who announced this in an interview with Correspondent, Godwin Umeh, explained that the conference would equip the officials of the university and other institutions with new methods of online teaching.

Prof. Anieke said e-learning had become paramount in view of the effect of the corona virus pandemic, which according to him, had revealed new ways of doing things.

He said anyone in any part of the world can participate in the online conference and workshop training, stressing that 500 participants are expected.

According to the Vice Chancellor, resource persons from Switzerland, Germany, Austria and from Nigerian Universities will participate to make their own contributions.

On the possibility of the older people participating actively in the ICT conference, Rev. Fr. Prof. Anieke made it clear that it was time they started developing skills in the modern world, pointing out that it would no longer be business as usual. He said such people should learn to be abreast with what is going on in the world.

Speaking on the likely difficulties that will be encountered by students and lecturers in the e-learning platform introduced in the university, the Vice Chancellor said, “Countries are developing Apps that will help in practical teaching and Nigerians should pay attention to what is happening in the world”.

The Vice Chancellor announced that under the university’s online exams, there would be only application questions for students, such that the answers could not be easily downloaded and parents might not be able to help them answer. He noted that when the students write online exams there would be cameras all over reporting to the university what was happening.

On his assessment of the Gouni E-learning, Professor Anieke said, “I am very happy we are one of the first in this field in the country. It is qhite interesting, and engaging. You can see that students do not have distractions anymore. On campus they study in different halls with distractions but today the setting is different. Now they sit down and look at the computer or phone and continue to work.  The engaging nature of E-learning makes it attractive to people”.

On participation in the Zoom conference training, Prof. Anieke urged interested persons to log on to the Go University website, www.gouni.edu.ng and register or call the University ICT office helpdesk on the website. He gave the assurance that the university’s system would continue to be hacker free.

The Vice Chancellor made it clear that the Zoom conference training was free, adding “We want to make online learning attractive. If we start charging money now, it will look as if we just want to make money. We do not want to make money now; rather we want to spend money and help people to know the value of E-learning”.

He urged people across the globe to register and participate in the conference with the curiosity to learn new things. 

Rev. Fr. Prof. Anieke encouraged students to work assiduously as everything would be found online. “Students should do their assignments and parents should engage their children to study”. The VC expressed appreciation for the effort and encouragement of parents in the education of their children.                 

Speaking on the world Communication day celebrated on the 24th May 2020, Prof. Anieke who is also the Chief Executive of Gouni Radio 106.9fm, said communication should give people the truth and narrate the other side of the story and not fake news.

He observed that in the context of the COVID-19, people were faced with two types of communication: truth from the conventional media, (the radio television and newspapers) and the other side (fake from the social media).  He said it was necessary to reflect and see how communication could be used to fight the virus. “It is only with proper communication, and only with emphasis on the truth that we will really solve the problem”.

He expressed his unhappiness on how people do not have radio sets and would also not listen to news on the radio but prefer to get information from the social media a (cheap means of dissemination of information). He stressed the importance and value of good communication, the value of the radio, the value of television and the value of the print media and noted with dismay that many families and even media men do not have radio sets in their houses, urging the people to listen to radio news and be informed.

The priest described the COVID-19 pandemic as punishment from human beings to human beings (and not from God).