By Maurice Okafor.
For Professor Mrs Christiana Okechukwu, a Nigerian American based Professor with a passion for naturing women and children into productivity, it is high time to re-invent Nigeria’s style and standard of Education for women and youths so that they can belong to the productive sector of the society, so as to halt the increasing rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
Towards this direction, Professor Mrs Okechukwu, who lectured at both Institute of Management and Technology[IMT] Enugu and the former Anambra State University of Science and Technology[ASUTECH] which presently comprises ESUT, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka and Ebonyi state, in what appears as her homecoming and giving back to the society where she was tutored, is running a Non-governmental Organisation[NGO] known as ‘Inwelle Resources and Study Centre’ in Enugu and Anambra states, and still spreading, while she still has her feet in America.
One of the branches of the Inwelle Resource and Study Centre is established in the serene environment of Amorji Nike, in Enugu East local government area of Enugu state, is replicated in Inyi Enugu Ezike and Ogidi in Anambra state, among others, are designed to mentor women and youths most especially and men too, to acquire skills and fit into the society, without waiting for hardly existing white collar jobs.
To the effect, Free computer training is offered by the organization to youth Women and staff of parastatals, who wish their staff to become computer literate and ICT compliance. The organization is further equipped with all forms of books, both for kindergarten, pupils, and students and technical, professional textbooks for students of higher institutions.
Professor Okechukwu disclosed that she initiated the idea of developing a private library section even though it is serving the public currently over a decade ago, while she was on vacation and visited the state and National libraries in the state capital and found out that the dearth of professional journals and textbooks of varying subjects, which hitherto they have relied on while she was a student of Queens School Enugu. She said since thereafter she has committed thousands of dollars from her meagre salary to re-invent a complete library structure within all the already established branches of Inwelle Resource and Study centre and has developed it as a culture, to ship more books each time she is coming for a vacation.
In the vision of the NGO of gingering empowerment initiatives for women and youths, the Inwelle Resource and Study centre has also carved a niche by organising free vocational training for women and youths every long vacation through a programme tagged: ‘Boot camp’.
During the boot camp undergraduates and students from various parts of the country who applied for the camp are taught on how to manufacture different kinds of household commodities such as detergents Bar Soap making, perfumes etc. In addition to computer training and other forms of skills, that can easily fetch them money while still pursuing their carrier education.
In view of the deteriorating standard of basic education in Nigeria, Professor Christiana Okechukwu in her commitment to revising the trend has come up with the initiative of running basic education from the kindergarten level to the Senior Secondary school level at Inwelle Resource and Study Centre.
According to her. she wants to reinvent a normal school system whereby Pupils and students are tutored through basic science and practicals, which are seriously on the decline. Towards this direction, Computer lessons and training for all categories of pupils and students in the school. The school has also established a standard laboratory and library for students.
Professor Okechukwu said the project is her own contribution to reviving and restoring the falling standard of education in Nigeria, as an educationist who had her early beginning in Nigeria, without profit.
