Benson Idahosa University Hosts Workshop on Academic Writing
In efforts geared towards providing a platform to create, negotiate, disseminate and to transfer knowledge through research collaboration and mentoring, the Centre for Language Research and English Proficiency (CLAREP), has organized an Academic Writing Workshop for young academics in Africa.
The 5-day workshop which was hosted by Benson Idahosa University and powered by the Volkswagen Foundation had mentors and participants from 30 universities from across Africa as well as Germany.
Declaring the event open, the President of Benson Idahosa University, Bishop F.E.B. Idahosa lauded the Centre for providing young academics in Africa the opportunities for training and mentoring on writing for academic publication.
He welcomed the participants to the University and told them to feel free to move around the University to feel our hospitable environment.
Giving her welcome address, the Director for Centre for Language Research and English Proficiency (CLAREP), Dr. Alexander Esimaje said academic writing has become an issue that needs to be addressed because student participation in higher education is on the rise stretching academic staff and learning facilities.
“All over the world, student participation in higher education is on the rise. The inability of government and private agencies to provide resources to match this growth poses a significant problem for educational institutions. The result is that academic and learning facilities are considerably stretched and academic writing takes the immediate toll,” she said.
According to her, the low-level competence in the academic writing skills of students is all too apparent in the product of academies all over the world; and the need for productive education underlines the significance of the workshop.
Furthermore, she said the workshop is one of the ways CLAREP achieves its aim of increasing the research capacities and the level of English proficiency among young Academics in Africa.
She thanked the Management and Staff of Benson Idahosa University, the Volkswagen Foundation and the local organizing committee for the academic workshop for Africa,
In his speech, the Acting Vice Chancellor of Benson Idahosa University, Prof. Sam Guobadia, commended CLAREP under the leadership of Dr. Esimaje for mentoring students of the University.
“We consider ourselves fortunate to have an academic workshop of this kind hosted in our University. CLAREP has achieved unparalleled growth and exemplary progress in the areas of academic and research. As an institution, we are proud to be part of your success story.”
He urged everyone to make a collective responsibility to support all the programmes organized and co-organised by the Centre.
CLAREP is an educational non-governmental organization poised to developing research and promoting the use of language in all its spheres.