The Millennial Class of 2001/2002 medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calabar, has donated renovated facilities to the institution as part of their kind initiative in giving back to the university.
The set renovated and furnished a lecture hall for medical students fitted with a smart learning interactive board, renovated and upgraded toilet facilities and the landscaping of the courtyard.
Class representative of the set, Dr Mbang Kooffreh-Ada, who is a Lecturer/Honorary Consultant in the University of Calabar, said that the gesture was to promoted teaching and learning in the College of Medicine.
Kooffreh-Ada said that the set came together to do a need assessment with a view to identify the immediate needs of the faculty and fashion out ways of giving back to the faculty.
“About two years ago, some of our classmates came together to identify what we can do for the Medical School at that time.
“We started fundraising despite the COVID-19 pandemic and we were able to raise a modest amount of money for the renovation work.
“The faculty felt that the classrooms were too small then and they needed a hall that will carry up to 100 students and above.
“At that point, the current Dean of the faculty, Prof. Ngim Ngim, suggested that beyond just giving the faculty the project, we should go ahead and make the projector an interactive learning board and we had to install it as well.
“This is the first of its kind in the Faculty of Medicine and we look forward to using this state of the art class to teaching our students and hoping that in doing so, it would create an ambience environment for them to learn,” she said.
She said that the facilities were improved upon with a view to promote learning and teaching in the Faculty and also create a recreational centre for students during their free period.
“The Millennial Class of 2001/2002 are immensely blessed by the tutelage and guidance of the College of Medical Sciences, and indeed the entire University of Calabar Community towards our becoming the men and women of good standing that we are today.
“Based on this, we felt a huge sense of responsibility to give back to our Alma Mata by responding to the immediate needs of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences cum College of Medicine. Once it was decided what we will do, we embarked upon a two-year planning and eventual execution of the project. Despite the odds, we are grateful to God that he has enabled us to Renovate and furnish a 100 seater ultramodern classroom equipped with a state-of-the-art Smart Learning Interactive Board.
“Additionally, we upgraded the adjacent lavatories to meet basic modern standards.
We also, landscaped the courtyard in the Faculty building to create an ambient recreational environment for medical students to relax between lectures.
“It is our heartfelt desire to see the standards in our Alma Mata maintained and possibly upgraded. We look forward to seeing other esteemed Alumni of our prestigious Medical school joining us to help place the College of Medical Science, University of Calabar on the world map of excellence.
“We are enormously grateful to the Dean of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, the Provost of the College of Medicine, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar for this opportunity to serve,” she said.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Florence Obi, who inaugurated the renovated facilities, commended the 2001/2002 alumni set of the faculty for giving back to the University.
Prof. Obi, who called on other alumni to emulate the donors, described their initiative as “first of its kind” in the Faculty of Medicine.
“This is actually what we expect from our alumni. These are young people who have thought it wise to give back to the University.
“For me, this is a clear way of appreciating the lecturers who taught them as undergraduates. If the lecturers had extorted monies from them or been vindictive and delayed them unnecessarily, they would never have thought of this.
“This is exactly what we talk about every day concerning teachers-students relationship; because the students will always remember.
“Let me convey the gratitude of the management of the University of Calabar to the 2001/2002 set wherever they are, we are very proud and happy with you all,” she said.
Dean of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Prof. Ngim, lauded the set for the project, adding that they have actually set the pace in the faculty.
“What they have done is very commendable, and I hope that other alumni sets will emulate this selfless initiative.
“The Faculty of Medicine already has an Alumni Engagement Programme where we have identified programmes and projects that we want alumni to key into so that the faculty will be better off than what some of us here met it when we were students,” the Dean said.
