ERC CONDEMNS VARSITY AUTHORITIES' ACTION
The Education
Rights Campaign (ERC), University of Lagos (UNILAG) branch, condemns the
undemocratic decision of the University administration to prevent 100 Level medical
students from proceeding to the University College of Medicine, Idi-Araba to
continue their programme.
Two weeks to their
final examination, the University administration, citing a fresh index system,
changed the rule which now require first year medical students to obtain a minimum
cumulative CGPA of 4.1 before they can proceed to the University College of
Medicine. The University management claimed the number of students that passed
exceeds the required number, hence their decision to coerce students to go and
study courses they did not sign for.
Before the final
examination, the university administration fraudulently admitted students beyond
the school capacity because of the fat gains and profits they expected to make
from students especially the Diploma students. If the University administration
was fair and just, it would have admitted students it knows it had capacity to
handle. Therefore the University administration has no genuine excuse
whatsoever to coerce students to study courses they did not sign up for. Not
only is the conduct of the University administration outrageous and reprehensible,
it also betrays a complete disregard for students’ fundamental human rights as
established under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic Nigeria (As
Amended).
The university
system is guided by laws, mores and traditions set decades back. Nowhere in the
University system in the whole world are students allocated programmes and
courses they did not sign up for. We call on staff unions (ASUU, SSANU, NASU
and NAAT) to also condemn the action of the administration and demand that this
decision be immediately reversed. This is crucial to prevent an embarrassing
situation developing that could sully the image of UNILAG and the integrity of
the University system.
Again, the public
must be wary of being fooled. Quota for admission into faculties and programmes
has long been set by the National University Commission (NUC) and other
regulatory agencies. But because of profit-motive, Universities often admit
beyond the set quotas hoping to make more money from the extra fees. Therefore
if the University has admitted more students beyond its quota, that is no fault
of the students. Students should therefore not be made to suffer for a crisis
they did not cause.
It is
disheartening that up till this moment, the University administration has not
mapped out any feasible solution to the problem. All they did was to coerce the
students to go and study other courses they did not apply for. This is a breach
of contract. The attempt to impose on
them courses, other than medicine, must be resisted. We call on the Students
Union, and staff unions to form a united front and resist this autocratic
tendency of the University administration.
Julius Samuel (Prakash) Ilesanmi Samson (Samkol)
Branch Coordinator Mobilization
Officer
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