BY ATIA TILARIOUS AZOHNWI
The new Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea is an Associate Professor of Applied Chemical Engineering.
Professor Horace Ngomo Manga, formerly Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education, replaced Professor Nalova Lyonga as Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea (UB) following a June 27, 2017 presidential decree.
With gratitude to the President of the Republic and confident in his modest person, Prof Horace Ngomo Manga moments after his appointment said his new duty gives him the desire to continue more in serving the State and upholding those values that give quality to the Higher Education system in the country.
Prof. Ngomo Manga holds that this new post of duty is not a field for discovery for him after working at the central service of the Ministry of Higher Education for five years.
As a Secretary General, Ngomo had been working hand-in-gloves with Universities which are the operational arms of the Ministry of Higher Education.
At the University of Buea, Prof. Ngomo Manga hopes to continue in promoting professionalism and quality research. The new Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea obtained his PhD from the University of Lagos in 1990 and started teaching Inorganic Chemistry in 1992 at the University of Yaoundé I in the department of Chemistry. Married with five children, he hails from the Ndian Division, South West Region.
It is this rich academic and administrative experience that Prof. Ngomo brings to UB.
While installing Prof. Ngomo Manga on July 10 along with the new Prof. Edward Oben Ako, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Buea, the Chancellor of Academic Orders and Minister of Higher Education commissioned the duo to take UB to new heights.
Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo called on both varsity dons to head the institution in respect of the new university governance approach, academic managerial and digital governance policies prescribed by the Head of State, President Paul Biya.
They were also called upon to ensure better teaching and academic stability in the university and to consolidate the peace that the institution is reputed for, which peace had been compromised in the wake of the social unrests in Anglophone regions.
The Minister’s prescriptions were clear and Prof. Horace Ngomo Manga has since gone to work.
He came in at a time when prophets of doom had cursed the 2016/2017 academic year. But to their greatest surprise, the erudite educational administrator has steadied the UB ship to a safe harbor. First and semester exams were written, with a summer school and re-sit period used to catch up on lost time.
At the November 17, 2017 Finance and General Purposes Committee of Council of the University of Buea, encomiums were poured on Prof. Ngomo Horace Manga for demonstrating a lot of experience in piloting the affairs of UB.
Professor Edward Oben Ako, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Buea said the following of Prof. Ngomo.
Hear him: “We are in the month of November; I think the academic year will begin very soon. Lectures should effectively start by November 27, 2017 for the new academic year.
“I congratulate the Vice-Chancellor (Prof. Ngomo Horace Manga) and his collaborators for a job well done. We know what the situation has been with the other sectors of education. But I think in the University of Buea, it has been business as usual. I think this should continue because that is the only way we can help the young ones who are looking for guidance.”
The Pro-Chancellor assured students and parents that UB will continue to operate unperturbed, urging members of the UB community to each play their role to guarantee a successful school year.
Like Prof. Ngomo Manga says in his own words, 2016/2017 was a peculiar year but the best is right ahead.
Lectures for the 2017/2018 academic year kick off today, November 27, 2017 at the University of Buea. The Vice-Chancellor says over 4000 students have been admitted.
He is optimistic the new school year will be a success. This was the impression he gave students last Monday at the Dorothy Limunga Njeuma Amphitheatre during the orientation of freshmen.
“I have my reservations about calling this one a peculiar school year because the one we just closed is what I will consider a peculiar school year. We will use this academic year to adjust. We are starting late but our intention is to uphold quality. We did a lot of adjustments to meet up with the guidelines that keep the quality of training at acceptable levels. The adjustments this year will be less severe.”
Prof. Ngomo used his first contact with the freshmen to It is some introductory encounter with the freshmen last November 20 to educate them on what to expect on campus, the academic requirements and social life in Buea, what the university provides and what is expected of the students in terms of behavior and the need for them to concentrate on their studies.
Prof. Ngomo says UB remains very attractive if one were to go by the many persons who sought admission into “the place to be”.
“We only pray that we will not have to make severe adjustments again. We have more than 4000 students coming in. UB remains attractive despite the perturbations,” Ngomo says.
Aside putting an accent on quality and academic, Prof. Ngomo has also opened up to sign many more mentorship partnerships with private institutions.
Four of such Memoranda of Understanding were signed on November 17.
During a meeting of the Congregation of the University, he handed out firm instructions to his collaborators, which instructions are geared towards guaranteeing quality.
He has also held working sessions with members of the University of Buea branch of the National Syndicate of Teachers of Higher Education as well as with student representatives in a bid to have a smooth and hitch-free academic year.
He is also seeking partners in order to further professionalise the programs of the University of Buea.
He is also a free mixer in the community. He was ushered into the Amphitheatre on the day of his installation by an Oroko juju which walked ahead majestically. He is very welcoming and open to all members of the UB community.