THE new vice chancellor of Elizade University, Ilara-mokin, Ondo State, Professor Olukayode Amund, has advocated for the establishment of a central examination body for final year students in all universities across the country.
Amund who stated this while speaking with journalists after the matriculation of the institution’s new students said the uniform examination by both public and private universities’ final year students would ensure standard and quality.
According to him, the unified examination will help to raise the standard of education in the country while it will also create a level playing ground for all universities, both public and private.
“I want to support the idea. It was sometimes proposed by Chief Afe Babalola and he has a reason for saying this. This will correct the impression that students from private universities are push-over.
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“In essence, they did better than products of older universities. Again, if you look at the last ranking of universities, Covenant University came first, while the University of Ibadan (UI) came second. That corroborates the notion that we should all have a competitive examination.
“After all, it is the same syllabus. Those of us in private universities have confidence in our products, because they have the full complement of the syllabus.
“ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities) was on strike for four months and it is the syllabus and students that will suffer it because shortly after that strike, the students will write their examinations.
“So, how can such student be at the same level with those whose teachers never went on strike and had the full compliments of their lectures and practical as well as exposed to hands-on experience?
“I know that even overseas, the best universities are the privately owned. When we talk about Harvard, Yale and Stanford Universities; all the Ivy League universities are private universities. Also in the United Kingdom (UK) it is the same.”
Speaking on his plan to reposition Elizade University, Amund said, “We want to do things in a new way, not in the old way because those who are doing it in the old way are not doing well.
“Some of the old public universities that are supposed to be role models for the younger ones have failed and that has affected the standard of the schools.”
“We will engage quality lecturers to complement high quality students. What we are saying here is that we are going to set standard that it is only the best that is good for Elizade.
“We don’t just take in any lecturer but it must be based on some stringent criteria because we are not desperate to just bring in people, but we want to bring in the best.
“Equally, for admitting students, we won’t go below 50 per cent in JAMB scores, because the institution is meant for the best. We want candidates that will be able to weather the storm; so, quality faculty, quality students.”
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