Education major tool to eradicate poverty — Amadeus varsity founder

The Founder of Amadeus University, Amizi Oloko, in Ikwuano LGA, Abia State, Godwin Nwabunka, has described education as a major tool for empowerment and for driving people out of poverty.

Nwabunka stated this on Thursday while unveiling the university, explaining that when education is combined with entrepreneurship training, sustainable ICT development, teaching and learning equipment, loans, grants and scholarship schemes, good healthcare programmes, as well as students’ social and religious activities, it can help lift people out of poverty.

The founder said the university offers all these and aims to lift at least 20 women out of poverty annually.

He said, “This university shall target lifting at least 20 women out of poverty yearly in association with our founder’s Grooming Centre. This is in addition to reaching out to vulnerable groups in the host communities with various interventions. We shall also create academic programmes intended to give a second chance to school dropouts within our host communities.

“The university shall maintain a robust relationship with the state government, National Universities Commission, and various interest groups who impact our programmes and activities.”

In his speech, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Samuel Nzotta, disclosed that the university is a model of digitalised and virtual learning, with a philosophy that “emphasises scholarship for excellence, unfettered access to functional higher education, product quality and competitiveness of the university.”

Amadeus University is set to launch in September, offering 19 undergraduate programmes across four faculties, as approved by the National University Commission.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, the institution will be a pioneer in digital education, leveraging cutting-edge Information and Communication Technology to drive all aspects of university life.

The Vice-Chancellor emphasised that Amadeus University is designed to be a digital university where ICT will play a central role in enhancing efficiency and reliability in all services and operations.

“Presently, digital platforms have been developed for students’ e-admission, e-registration, e-payment, e-transcript, e-governance consisting of e-senate, and e-council,” he said, adding that the university has concluded arrangements for setting up structures for e-learning and e-teaching before the end of the 2024/2025 academic year.

“One important feature of the school curriculum,” he said, “is the inculcation of entrepreneurship training skills to ensure that we produce graduates who have the necessary training to create jobs in their fields rather than being job seekers,” Nzotta said.

Fielding questions from newsmen, Nwabunka said the university is a product of the ecosystem, demonstrating that good things can come from the state and the country and will be part of the process.

He added, “We are here to change the narrative and create an environment where all will feel comfortable. We want to create an environment free from crisis.”

The current landmass of the university is about 110 hectares but is challenged by an access road, for which the founder pleaded with the government at all levels.

“Give us an access road, an enabling atmosphere, and developers will come,” he pleaded.