The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has commenced the accreditation exercise for 12 programmes at the College of Health Technology, Zawan, Plateau State, as part of efforts to assess the institution’s compliance with approved academic and administrative standards.
The accreditation team, led by Dr Bello Abdulhakeem, Acting Director, North Central Zone of NBTE, began the exercise with a meeting with the management and staff of the institution at the college’s Board Room before proceeding to assess its academic programmes, facilities and administrative capacity.
Some of the facilities visited by the team include the library, Information Unit, Physics Laboratory, Chemistry Laboratory, Environmental Laboratory, Nutrition and Dietetics Laboratory and the Registrar’s Office, among other areas of the institution.
Speaking during the assessment, Abdulhakeem said the exercise was a statutory responsibility of the board to ensure that institutions offering National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes maintain the required standards.
He explained that the assessment would determine the institution’s capacity to sustain existing accredited programmes and its readiness to introduce new ones.
Abdulhakeem disclosed that the team would assess about 12 academic programmes alongside institutional administration, with some programmes scheduled for reaccreditation and others undergoing resource inspection as new programmes.
He said the assessment would focus on the availability of qualified personnel and adequate facilities to support effective teaching and learning.
“Every five years, we carry out this exercise to assess whether institutions still have the facilities and human resources required to continue running programmes that were previously accredited,” he said.
The Acting Provost of the college, Sant. Nokshuwan Sintiki Godfrey, said the institution had intensified preparations over the preceding two weeks to meet the requirements of the accreditation exercise.
She explained that management had worked in line with the curriculum and guidelines provided by the board, with support from the Plateau State Government.
Godfrey expressed confidence in the level of preparation, adding that the institution was ready for the assessment and would welcome the team’s recommendations to improve its operations.
“We have been working tirelessly to ensure that we put in place all that is required based on the curriculum and what has been given to us by the Board for Technical Education. With the support of the present government, we have put in our best,” she said.
Also speaking, Plateau State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Gloria Samuel Karuri, commended the college management for the improvements recorded ahead of the accreditation exercise.
Karuri said she was impressed with the facilities and preparations on ground, noting that the state government had made deliberate efforts to improve existing infrastructure and raise academic standards.
She expressed hope that the exercise would provide further opportunities for the institution to improve, while urging the government to sustain its investment to ensure that the standards achieved are maintained.
The Managing Director of Alias Medical Solutions, Dr Muhammad Ali, described the accreditation exercise as an important process for reviewing the quality and performance of academic programmes.
He said the periodic assessment would help evaluate existing courses and determine the institution’s readiness to introduce new programmes.
