BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Determined to spread its tentacles across all sectors, the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCN) has opened up opportunities to enrol and certify journalists as public health practitioners.
This is even as the feat would be achieved through a short-term programme for interested journalists willing to further their studies in public health at EHCN's education resource centre, Abuja.
Registrar of EHCN, Dr Yakubu Baba disclosed this during an interview with newsmen in Abuja, shortly after the conmissiing of the centre at Gwarinpa district, on the sidelines of the just concluded 3-day National Environmental Health Business Forum, organised by the council.
According to him, "The council will come up with a short-term programme because journalists that will enroll in the centre will be identified as public health journalists. They will be trained in public health journalism so that during their report, they will flow freely with public health terminologies."
"Public health is very broad and has a defined role for different people in the sector of public health. Even the food seller on the street is a public health person", he added.
Baba stated that the centre would also admit and organise a short-term course for interested candidates from different fields of study that are willing to broaden their knowledge on public health.
On the criteria for enrollment of students, he said, "In the scheme of service, we have about four cadres for environmental health officers, so the centre will focus on providing platform for mobility for the younger ones to migrate from a smaller to a higher cadre."
He said that since environmental health officers are categorised into three such as scientists, consultants and specialists, that the centre would provide opportunity for scientists to acquire additional qualification and graduate as consultants.
Baba stated that the centre would admit students for Post graduate studies, Masters degree and Doctorate degree in collaboration with universities, noting that the centre would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the necessary institution, which is a conventional way of promoting e-learning globally.
The registrar was optimistic that the centre would leverage on e-learning platform that would enable professors and bigger specialists to participate in the training of members, adding that all the facilities for e-learning are ready.
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