The Students Union Government (SUG) of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko(AAUA) Ondo State has expressed displeasure over a statement released by the management on the prolonged holiday in the institution.
There are had been widespread reports that the university could not resume for a new academic session from its over two months break as a result of the planned increase in tuition by the state government.
The President of the Union, Ijanusi Olawale while speaking on a programme in a private Radio station in Akure,Ondo State Capital on Thursday monitored by our correspondent disagreed with the university management on the reason given for the prolonged holiday.
The Institution had in a statement on Tuesday revealed that the break was being used to put in place structures and repair some facilities that would make learning environment more conducive.
The Institution's Head of Information, Protocol and Public Relations Unit, Mr. Sola Imoru in the statement urged students to be law abiding, peaceful and avoid any form of violence .
" We would like to state that contrary to these insinuations, the University is using the period of the break to put in place all necessary structures, including repair of facilities, especially at this period of paradigm shift in the state's education sector, to ensure a conducive campus and a serene learning environment on resumption."We assure our stakeholders that Management is as concerned as the parents and students about the issue of resumption and would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the University resumes for a new session very soon,"the statement read in part.
But the SUG president explained that renovations on campus should not have delayed their resumption. He noted that the management could as well made arrangement with the ongoing work and academic activities would not be affected.
His words: "Although, we saw some renovations on campus, but then I don't believe that should be a mean of delaying the resumption." I believe when you are coming our with a particular restructuring or renovation in a place, a plan should be put in place.We are all intellectuals, there ought to be a time frame for the renovation. At least,the management should have informed students that we are using some months,weeks, and days for renovation."Let me say as a father,I want to renovate and reconstruct my building. In that case, I cannot put myself, my wife and the children to be sleeping under the bridge or inside gutter. I will have to carve a kind of niche,to carve a kind of space for us to stay pending the time the reconstruction will be over.But it is not like that in our institution.They should have made arrangement in which we can have a wonderful study and our activities can still continue when they are doing the work and later we go back to our normal life."It is so disheartened that the state government has not set up the governing council for our institution.The school cannot resume without the setting up of the governing council, because it is the governing council that can decide on what to happen and what not to happen in the institution,not even the Senate or the management."
Ijanusi further described the purported increase in tuition by the state government as sad and a slap on humanity.
While advising the state government not to consider increasing the tuition, he however emphasised that any increase would be resisted by the Students Union.
"We have written series of letters to the state governor, his deputy ,the Secretary to the state government, the commissioner for Education in which our position as a union is stated categorically and up till today, we have not heard anything from them. The only thing we heard from the Commissioner for Education was that the tuition will be decided by the Governing Council. "The governor mentioned it during our last convocation in December last year that the school fee will be reviewed ,that what we are paying is too low. Presently,what we are paying as the highest is around N32,000.Even when we were paying this amount, we were ranked two times the best state university in Nigeria by a foreign agency.We are doing well amidst our contemporaries. "Increasing the tuition should not be an idea that should come on board at this time and that is the reason why we will say no to that because we believe education is our right and not a choice.Our parents are paying their taxes,and we understand Ondo State is mainly dominated by the civil servants and it is not the case that government is increasing the salary of our parents."Why are they coming now that they want to increase the school fees. It is so disheartened and a slap on humanity,"
Ijanusi said.
Tags : Aaua Resumption Date, Aaua School fees hike, AAUA resumption date for freshers 2018, AAUA must resume
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