Educational Issues
Guilty or Not, The Case Of University of Ibadan -By Olabiyi Richard Aremu
A big mark – a big question that lands students in trouble in the disciplinary council: the senate would turn down the explanation if the defendant says “no my Lord, with explanation” or even “yes my Lord, with explanation”.
There have been cases of crime committed by an individual based on several incidents, and in a University where a disciplinary committee is grounded, it has been confirmed that this committee does not go out of its way to make any finding but feels cool at punishing students with any stereotypical method that fits in.
When a student is being summoned to the students’ affairs division
For years, it has appeared that the school anthem of the institution should be reviewed or covered for a while until repentance takes dwelling at the Senate arm. When the school speaks about character and learning, it becomes a question of who should disciple who, because even the touts believe in social justice and equal chance order than those in the gown. Leadership and followership shouldn’t be measured by age but by the level of rationalization, level of ability to lead without a title and level of trust by the people.
The polar question to be asked a student summoned by the management is – are you guilty or not? Such student can pick one, but his questions that will deal with his conscience await him. For example, in 2017, a student was invited by the Disciplinary committee to defend himself from a case of rape. After exonerating himself from the case, the school still dealt with him. The lady that was affected pleaded that he wasn’t among the culprit, but it was too late. The victim of injustice stayed in the next room to the room where the incident occurred and was asked why he acted as if he wasn’t concerned.
In November 7, 2015, two halls of residence on campus engaged in a hate, Zik Hall and Queen Idia Hall were not agreeing. From Zik Hall, girls were molested with songs of what they call “Aro”, but during a program at the female hall, Zik Hall went to witness the program and from there, hullabaloo was the atmosphere. Meanwhile, on the second day on this event, Philip Olatinwo – A Zikite, who wasn’t in the Hall anymore at that time, went to a place called Idia Village for a shopping. Succintly, he was roped into the case, dealt with, and this made him to reach out to the Dean of Students was invited by the disciplinary council. What led to his expulsion was his fault because whoever is justified does not raise collar but waits till the end of n argument to be heard clearly.
During the protest of 2017, it started from the administration of an
erstwhile President of the Students’ union, Ojo Nifemi. While students
were on vacation, a students’ meeting was called where the media also
got their way into the Students’ Union Building. Several issues were
discussed and among were the issue of half back graduate that the
institution is producing. In University of Ibadan, a first class is most
vulnerable than others because this one faces his book squarely without
even seeing the world and hence many of them become half baked. This
administration transferred the resolution of the conference to the
incoming administration which was taken up after 24 days in office, when
Ojo Aderemi became the President. The school management met with the
elected executive members where the Vice Chancellor and the Dean of
students said they would be available at the congress to be called by
the union. Unfortunately, these ones didn’t appear, thereby forestalling
the impossibility of protest to come up. Those that knew expected these
two to be around, but they were not. Are you not guilty?
In
2016, the interim process audit report of the University of Ibadan – a
six years financial report (2010 – 2015) presented by the OS
Professional services – a firm hired to conduct it according to a report
by Saharareporters. The audit was done in November 10, 2016 and it was
said that there was an overfunding of #5.95 billion for 2010 – 2013
carried out by the management without relevant government approvals. The
report also stated that “despite spending #12.5 billion between 2010
and 2015 on capital assets financed through federal government budgetary
allocation, Tertiary Education Fund and Internally Generated Revenue,
the University could not boast of a fixed asset register for its fixed
assets”. The OS Professional services also explained that the
University’s asset register was not updated and asset evaluation was
never carried out – all these in a school that ranks the best (any
school can be the first).
Starting from March 2018, private hostels in the University of
Ibadan: CMF, AOO, 77 Palms, A Six 2 Bedroom flats – Senior Staff quarter
have been commissioned, but “despite the impact on students-related
income and the IGR generation of the institution, despite the fact that
these PPPs would say “it was their contribution to the institution in
appreciation of what it has offered them in the past, the Auditor said
“the Bursar of the institution failed to make available any of the
Public Private Partnership agreements for review. The OS Professional
Services emphasized that what was found during the review of financial
information was overspending on a number of vote items. Meanwhile, after
this finding was made, the only solution was to kill the kindling under
the carpet armpit even though the investigation was ordered from the
office of the Account-General of the Federation.
Recently, another
scam of #1.98bn rocked for a good time on campus which out the
University Bursar in a hot run. Anyone that enters University of Ibadan
today would feel how the system has rot: from the laboratory equipments
in the sciences to other facilities that are archaic and not presentable
to the Times Higher Education that ranks the institution blindly. It is
a crime for the University to expect the students to always speak well
of it when their lives are getting knottier each day, when the only
focus of the institution is to camp everyone to only follow the la cram
la pour technique and pass excellently. Anyone can visit the institution
and access her properties for rating, and whoever succeeds from the
citadel of learning was his own effort to beat the reach. The
Postgraduate school complains, medical school despite the increment of
professional levy still complains, and even the interactive boards are
placed in some classes, they have always been there useless and wasting.
Are they not guilty?
Here is a University that punishes a student because he is not worthy in character and learning. It is still questionable as to who should improve his character and learning, but who cares? Even parents would tell their children to end their education in peace and come home, such a futuristically insolent conclusion. In a bid to defend herself, the Vice Chancellor has always beaten the drum that the students broke the glass of a lecturer’s care. How is it possible for students protesting peacefully along the school gate to break a glass at a physics department very far from the protest take off point? Are you not guilty?