VC laments poor academic performance

GBENRO ADESINA/IBADAN

The Vice Chancellor of Nigeria’s premier University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Isaac Adewole today lamented the high rate at which students of the institution were being advised to withdraw due to poor academic performance in the various courses of study.

Adewole who dropped this hint when matriculating 2,671 students out of the total number of 41,367 candidates who applied to the premier university for 2012/2013 academic session said at the last academic session, 75 students of 100 level were asked to withdraw from the university for their failure to meet the minimum academic requirements to proceed to the next class.

“The rate of failure was highest in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry which recorded 18 withdrawals from the faculty in one session alone. Numbers of attritions were also recorded in the other faculties. I wish to therefore reminded you that it is difficult to gain admission into the university of Ibadan, as you would have realized but pretty easy leaving it owing to poor academic performance and involvement in unlawful acts”, Adewole explained.

The VC who further lamented the underfunding of the university system in the country disclosed that for the past three years, the university has supported the Halls of Residence with about N250m because the Federal government has failed to provide funds to maintain the halls.

He said, “Last year, in particular, the university spent about N100 million on the installation of inverter power back-up system in the Halls. The inverters provided power when there is power outage. We carried out turn-around maintenance (TAM) on the 33 KVA sub-station and purchased and installed two additional 2MVA generators in the university.

“We also procured and deployed mobile generators for the illumination of five Lecture Theatres of all-night reading. The university now enjoys fairly regular electricity and quality water supply. The university is also planning to spend another N54million to improve the reading rooms and common rooms and common rooms in all Halls of Residence”.

The VC however pointed out that the burden of running and maintaining the Halls of Residence has become unsustainable, more so, when only 30 percent of the students could be accommodated.

He stated that in the face of the financial and other challenges the institution is facing, the university would continue to ensure that students are exposed to quality education in the best atmosphere.

Delivery a paper tagged. “Balancing the Protest Culture among Undergraduate Students with Making the Best Use of the Golden Opportunity for Academic Excellence”, Professor Innocent V. O. Modo of the University of Uyo blamed the military incursion in to governance for the major problems the university education is confront in Nigeria.

He said that students should be prepared to pay sundry fees to the school authorities for the common things they enjoyed free of charge before due to inadequate funding of education by the government.