FEDERAL COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, ISHIAGU; EBONYI STATE
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE:
Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu formerly known as School of Agriculture was originally established at Umudike near Umuahia (about a hundred kilometres from its present site) in 1955 by the then Eastern Nigeria Government. At this location the College occupied 52 hectares of land.
In 1964, it was amalgamated with the Agricultural Research and Training Station, (ARTS) Umudike. The school was financed by the former Eastern Nigeria Government until the outbreak of the Nigeria/Biafra civil war of 1967. In 1972, the institution assumed federal status as the Federal Agricultural Research and Training Station (FARTS). On 1st April 1976, FARTS was renamed National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike with the ‘School’ as the training wing.
In 1989, the school received the initial accreditation by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). Following the accreditation, the school became known as Federal College of Agriculture, Umudike. The College was granted administrative autonomy by the Federal Government in 1991 and became funded directly and supervised by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology with a Governing Board.
In July 1993, The College was relocated through a Ministerial Order to Ishiagu following the establishment of a Federal University on its campus in 1992. The College moved to its new permanent site in October, 1995 as the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu.
The gradual evolution of the College starting from the colonial Agricultural Training Centre through to School of Agriculture and now to Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu marks the metamorphosis of this great citadel of learning and the only ‘Federal’ of such in the Southeast and South-south geo-political zone of Nigeria.
MISSION OF THE COLLEGE
The mission of Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu is to promote the advancement of agricultural training, production and research in Nigeria. It equally has the national mandate to develop and organize high quality, practical – oriented training with dynamic curricula to produce self-reliant technologists culminating in the award of National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND).
VISION OF THE COLLEGE
The vision of Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu is to be a world class technological institution.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COLLEGE
1. Academic restructuring into schools (Agricultural Sciences, Management Technology, Engineering and Technology) with their affiliated departments. HOD and Dean Appointment for new and existing departments and schools has been duly undertaken. Deans now co-ordinates dept within their schools. This resulted into devolution of functional responsibilities vertically within the system.
School of Agricultural Technology – Dean: Dr. Nwite John C.
School of Engineering Technology- Dean: Engr. Segun R. Bello
School of Science and Technology- Dean: Dr. Ebeniro Lawrence
School of Applied and Management Technology – Dean: Dr. Mbah, I. O.
Entrepreneurship Development and Vocational Studies – Director: Dr. Kadurumba Chukwuemeka
2. The position of the deputy provost (Administration) and Director of Academic Planning has equally been introduced. This is done to ensure that leadership responsibility is not over centralized in the campus.
3. Sustaining the industrial harmony within the labour Unions in the College. Cases of multiple Academic Unions within the academic staff has been streamlined to only one – Academic staff Unions of Colleges of Agriculture (ASUCA) in order to engender solid and vibrant Unionism in the College.
4. Online admission policy has been be strengthened. Admission drive equally intensified.
5. Group life and accident insurance policy for the students is been sustained. This is to indemnify the student community from risks and uncertainties associated with the current insecurity in the country.
6. Accreditation of departments that are due for NBTE visitation is seriously ongoing.
7. More new departments at the ND and one at HND levels to complement the existing ones. Such includes: Veterinary Laboratory Technology, forestry Technology, Wildlife and Eco-Tourism Technology, Hydrology and water Resources Mgt., Fabrication and welding Engineering Technology, Computer Engineering, Food Technology and Agribusiness Management Technology (HND). We can increase student enrolment only by advertising more courses and departments.
8. Massive advertisement drive for increased student population. Still ongoing.
9. Strengthening the adoptive village extension systems through sustaining the collaborations with the funding agencies.
10. Improving the management structure of the existing College hostels for better management and improved IGR. PPP is also ongoing for adequate accommodation for student. Same goes for the staff.
11. Establishment of functional ‘Management Information Systems (MIS)’ as mandated by NBTE for staff data to be assessed at a glance.
12. Getting every staff fully engaged so as to justify for the salary being earned and to also prevent truancy among staff. This has been taken care with the creation of more dept. staff are being deployed as appropriate.
13. Committees’ management systems has been Strengthened to reduce administrative pressure on the IMCC.
14. More staff farm Houses construction is currently ongoing with five (5) more accommodations.
15. The whole campus is being networked with optic fibre for 100% internet access for staff and students.
16. Solar power system is being installed across the department that were not previously having them.
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