The Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron in Akwa Ibom State is to limit admission of applicants seeking entry into the academy to 270 from the next academic session.
The Acting Rector of the academy, Commodore Duja Effedua, stated this at the weekend during the maiden edition of the national convention of the alumni of the Academy.
It was gathered that the theme of the convention was ‘Maritime frontiers: Reflection of the past vision for the future’.
Effedua, described as unacceptable lecturers to students’ ratio of 1/90 and sometimes 1/200, stressing that the ratio is one of the reasons his committee decided to halt admission of applicants into the academy this year.
“Students to lecturers’ ratio in MAN is horrible. One to 90 or sometimes 200 for a lecturer is what we have here. The lecturers cannot do much in this circumstance. This is why we decided to stop admission of applicants into the Academy this year.
“Again, some of our cadets sleep on the floor. We don’t want anybody to sleep on the floor any longer. We are going to admit between 250 or at most 270 applicants into the academy. We shall turn out quality lectures as well as engage guest lecturers to boost our quality of lectures. We shall lodge them in the hotels and pay them for their efforts”, he said.
It was learnt that prior to Effedua’s administration, the administration of Nseyen Ebong admitted 1,600 applicants into the academy before that of Joshua Okpo reduced the number of applicants admitted into the academy to 980.
He lamented that politicians use MAN as their dumping ground for political employment, noting that the academy has over 800 senior and 500 junior employees.
Support Quality Journalism in the Niger Delta Region
Join us in our mission to bring development journalism, cultural preservation, and environmental awareness to the forefront. Your contribution makes a difference in the lives of the people of the Niger Delta. Donate today and be a part of the change!
