varsity students on rampage over ‘no school fee, no examination policy’
students during the protest
Academic activities were yesterday paralysed at the Ondo State-owned Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) and the Ibarapa Polytechnic, Oyo State.
While students of AAUA went on the rampage over the implementation of ‘no school fee, no examination policy’ of the management, those of Ibarapa Polytechnic were protesting the non-accreditation of engineering courses in the institution.
The management of AAUA had increased the school fees from the earlier N35,000 to about N100,00 depending on various courses of study.
The management had also, in a circular, said students yet to pay the tuition fee would pay additional N10,000 for late registration.
The increase in the school fees had led to crisis last year when the institution’s tuition was jacked up by 100 per cent, from N35,000 to N200,000. But after several students’ protests, the state government reduced school fees to between N100,000 and N150,000.
The students described the Vice Chancellor, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun and the Pro-Chancellor, Dr Tunji Abayomi as insensitive administrators.
A student, who did not want his name in print, said “how can you expect a student that is yet to pay normal school fee to pay additional N10,000 as fine for late registration.”
The students called on Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to stop the policy of no registration, no examination in the interest of the less-privileged students in the university.
In reaction to the protest, the management directed all the students to proceed on a mid-semester break.
A statement signed by Ayeerun said “all students of the university are, therefore, advised to proceed on the mid-semester break with immediate effect.
“Students are to resume to campus on Monday, May 20, 2019.”
Meanwhile, former students of Ibarapa Polytechnic, who were yet to collect their certificates and be mobilised for their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the last two years, yesterday shut down the main gate leading to the school premises.
The students, who barricaded the gate of the institution preventing lecturers and students’ free access, complained that the institution’s management had failed in their responsibilities to resolve the issue.
They alleged that the institution had mismanaged funds meant for the accreditation of the engineering course of the institution.
The protesting students said the management had resolved to meet them yesterday by 8a.m. to address the issue but the management’s failure to come for the meeting led to the closure of the main gate.
“We have not heard anything about this issue since our last protest. All our efforts to get in touch with the authorities concerned had proved abortive. Our problems are yet to be attended to and we are here to show our grievances,” one of them said.
The National Senate President of the Federation of Oyo State Students Union (FOSSU), Comrade Wasiu Oke, noted that the cry of the aggrieved former students of the school had reached to the association.
Oke said FOSSU was ready to take up the struggle and make sure that the matter was resolved on time.
He said: “We want to urge the Oyo State government to do their best to resolve this issue. The management of this institution in conjunction with the NBTE must also make sure that this problem is resolved on time”.
While addressing the protesting students, the Rector of the institution, Mr. Eyitayo Iyiola, said the basic cause of the problem was short of fund from the Oyo State government and misinformation from the Faculty of Engineering of the institution.
He said: “The management of the school didn’t have enough fund to buy Engineering materials to accredit the engineering courses, and we have been misinformed by the faculty concerning the accreditation.
“N600 million was proposed by the Faculty of Engineering for the procurement and upgrading of engineering materials so that the NBTE can come to inspect and accredit the courses.
“Funding and misinformation was the basic cause of this issue. We have met several times and we keep on saying the same thing. The issue we are having borders on finance.”
