… As St. Patrick’s College, Awka in Tripartite Celebrations, Opens ICT Hub, Solicits for more Computers
By Fr Constantine Echichechi Okoli and Ebube Edieh
The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor, has said that education forms one, not just in learning, but in character, noting that being uneducated is like being blind.
The Bishop stated this at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Awka, on the occasion of their 10th Investiture, Academic Prize Award Ceremony and Send-off of their immediate past SS3 Students, known as the ‘Erudite Set’.
Speaking at the event, which started with a Holy Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Parish, Awka, on 6th December, in which he presided over, the Bishop, apart from equating being uneducated to being blind and shut-out of reality, took time to explain what education entailed and the fruits therefrom, averring that education formed one, not just in learning, but more importantly, in character.
The Bishop, who is also the Proprietor of the school, said it was not enough to be an academic firebrand and insisted that education ought to affect also the character and moral dexterity of the individual.
The Bishop, quoting Theodore Roosevelt to buttress this, said, ‘To educate a person in mind and not in morals, is to educate a menace in society.’ He called on parents to always insist that their children were trained on both academics and morals; just as he described the family as the school of schools.
He said parents ought to give the children the conducive environment in the family to strive and do things themselves and frowned at the situation where parents did everything for their children, even to the extent of writing or paying someone to write examinations for them. He said that without exposure to healthy risks and challenges, the individual would not grow.
In the same vein, Bishop Ezeokafor called on teachers to help the students to discover their potentials, tasking them to always remember that they were in a covenant with the students.
‘You are to lead them to the great happiness of discovering the treasurable stuff they are made of,’ the Bishop said, while thanking the school Management and the collaborative arm the government was extending to the school. He charged the students, the newly invested and the graduands, to be good representatives of St. Patrick’s College, Awka, urging them not to disappoint the institution.
Fides gathered that St. Patrick’s College was established on September 11, 2015, and would be celebrating her 10th Anniversary next year, 2025. All these years, the College has recorded tremendous growth and reached enviable heights, with international recognitions and global reckoning.
Recently, the College took the 1st position in the Spelling Bee Competition organized by Green Environment and Climate Change Initiative; won bronze medal at the national stage of the STAN Quiz Competition; became 1st runner up in both Junior and Senior categories of the 2024 Nigerian STEM Championship; and also 1st runner up in the 2024 Debate Competition organized by the Anambra State Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.
The school also came 1st in the Zonal Level and became 1st runner up in the 2024 Quiz Competition organized by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS); clinched so many awards and distinguished herself in the 2024 Awka Diocesan Singing Competition for Secondary Schools; and many others.
The event also featured the commissioning of a new ICT Centre, St. Patrick’s College ICT Hub, with a 300 seating capacity. While commissioning and blessing the ICT centre, the Bishop thanked all who contributed to the feat. According to him, ‘In a digital age in which we have found ourselves, information, communication and technology are not just equipment, but arsenals for living in a highly sophisticated world.’ He therefore encouraged the students to make the best use of the opportunity given to them and compete with their peers the world over.
The Manager and Principal of the College, Rev. Fr. Paschal Udo, while praising the education enthusiasm of the Bishop, called on the congregation to rejoice with the Bishop who recently celebrated his 40th Priestly Anniversary. He equally thanked all who came to celebrate with them, among who were the Chancellor of the Diocese, Fr. Charles Ndubisi; Secretary to the Bishop, Fr. Evaristus Ifeanacho; the education Secretary of the diocese, Fr. Maximus Okonkwo; many priests, religious men and women; the PTA Chairman, Prof. Chukwujekwu Ukpaka; Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Chuks Ndife; parents and guardians of the students and many friends and well-wishers of the College.
The Manager/Principal described the tripartite ceremony; Investiture of the new students, Academic Prize Award Ceremony and Send-off of their immediate past SS3 Students, as the most desired by the students and that the school calendar put a premium on it.
‘We are celebrating the life of the school,’ Fr. Udo said, also using the occasion to solicit for more sets of laptops for the newly opened St. Patrick’s College, ICT Hub.
When approached by Fides, the Assistant Manager of the College, Rev. Fr. Cosmas Emengini, expressed joy that every year, the College recorded qualitative success in all areas of the training of the students, disclosing that it was the fruit of hard work and cooperation with the grace of God from the Management and the students.
Similarly, the Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Ndife, gave a thumbs up to Catholic Education, which, he said, gave society balanced individuals. Also, one of the graduands, who is already studying Software Engineering at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Master Bruno Nfor, while thanking his teachers and parents, revealed to Fides that St. Patrick’s College really imparted positively on him and that he would do his best to keep the flag of the institution flying.
Other highlights of the event were: The inauguration of the 2024/2025 Academic Year, Award presentation to the best students for the 2023/2024 Academic Session which saw Onugbolu Benedict as the Overall Best in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and Ariyo Chinaza Paul as the Overall Best Graduating Student; Presentation of gifts and testimonials to the graduating students; Calisthenics and entertainment and many others.
