A’Ibom organises masterclass for assistant directors

•Offers scholarships to 500 students

Akwa Ibom State Government has organised a masterclass for assistant directors in the employment of the government. The masterclass, which focused on Writing, Protocol and Public Affairs Management, held on Tuesday, in the conference room of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, according to a statement by the ministry.

A renowned communication consultant and lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication in the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Dr. Udeme Nana, was the resource person.

While declaring open the training, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ini Ememobong, said the masterclass, which keys into the human capacity development vision of the government, is geared at sharpening the skills of the directors for effective service delivery.

“The future of the ministry rests in your hands as assistant directors; therefore, it has become expedient to sharpen your skills and keep you updated with the rudiments of your daily official routines of writing, discharge government protocol functions and managing public affairs for government,” the commissioner emphasised.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Akparawa James Edet, expressed appreciation to Ememobong and the state Governor, Udom Emmanuel, for approving the class, hoping that it would go a long way towards enhancing the performance of the directors.

The masterclass, with seven modules, focused on: Principles of Clear Writing; the Science Behind Good Writing; the Role Perception of Public Affairs/Perception Management; Protocol and Self Management Strategies and Effective Public Affairs Management, among others.

MEANWHILE, 500 indigent undergraduates of Akwa Ibom State origin, offered scholarships by Governor Emmanuel, have received a cheque of N200,000 each for the 2021/2022 academic session from Akwa Ibom State government.

A physically-challenged elated beneficiary, Moses Umo, who is a 300-level Bio-Chemistry student of the University of Uyo, while speaking on behalf of his colleagues, said the gesture had saved some of them from dropping out of school.

Describing the selection process as transparent, fair and credible, he commended the Education Commissioner, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet; the scholarship board and the entire selection committee for the transparent selection process.

Emmanuel, who spoke during the presentation of the cheques at the Ministry of Education in Uyo, said the gesture was part of his administration’s commitment to promoting education in the state, adding that the scholarships will be done yearly.

Analysis by the scholarships committee shows that a total of 1,665 online entries were received, of which 1,192 students passed the first round of the screening and were invited for an ICT-based aptitude test, where the 500 applicants with the highest grades were selected for the 2021/2022 academic year.