Protesting Students shut down Ibarapa Polytechnic over unaccredited courses

Academic activities was on Wednesday paralysed at the Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Oyo State, as some of the ex students of the institution who were yet to be mobilised for their National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) in the last two years of their graduation as a result of non accreditation of their courses shut down the main gate leading to the school premises.

The protesting students who are ex students of the institution were agitating over non issuance of certificates and failure of the school authority to mobilised them for NYSC two years after their graduation form the institution.

The departments in question according to the protesting students are : Office Technology and Management department, Purchasing and supply department, Library and information science department, Civil Engineering department, Mechanical engineering department, Electrical Engineering department and Marketing Department.

The students lamented the the inability of the institution’s management to resolve the issues up till this moment, thus alleging that the management of the institution has mismanaged funds meant for the accreditation of the engineering course of the institution.

The protesting students while speaking with journalists said that the management resolved to meet them on Wednesday by 8:00 am to address the issue and their failure to come on time was what led to the closure of the main gate.

“We have not heard anything about this issue since our last protest, all our effort to get in touch to the authority concern was proved abortive, our problems are yet to be attended to and we are here to show our grievances.

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Speaking at the protest was the National Senate President of the Federation of Oyo State Students Union, FOSSU, Comrade Wasiu Oke who noted that the association is aware of the plights of the protesting aggrieved ex students cry of the aggrieved ex students, added that FOSSU as a student body is ready to take up the struggle and make sure that the matter is resolve on time.

“We want to urge the Oyo State government to do their best to resolve this issue, the management of this institution in conjuction with the NBTE must also make sure that this problem is resolve on time.”

Comrade Oke pointed out that these students has been delayed for so long and their problem has not been resolved, noting that authority concern should come to the aids of the students.

Also speaking at the protest was the Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Oyo State chapter, Comrade Olujuwon Asubiojo also disclosed that the association is not interested in all the technical excuses giving by the management of the institution, adding that what the students want is for the management to resolve the issue without any delay.

“What we are requesting from the school management is to resolve this problem on time, the Oyo State government should be ready to fund the accreditation and the management also should be accountable for all the money they have collected.

While addressing the protesting students, the Rector of the institution, Mr. Eyitayo Iyiola said that the basic cause of the problem is short of fund from the Oyo State government and misinformation from the Faculty of Engineering of the institution.

“The management of the school didn’t have enough fund to buy engineering materials to accredit the engineering courses, and we have been misinformed by the faculty concerning the accreditation.”

Iyiola reiterated that n600 million was proposed by the faculty of engineering for the procurement and upgrading of engineering materials so that the NBTE can come to inspect and accredit the courses.

“Funding and misinformation was the basic cause of this issue, we have meet several times and we keeps on saying the same thing, the issue we are having relies on finance.”

The Rector emphasised that the problem also came from the faculty because the school management were not told that the facilities the engineering department have on ground can not be satisfied by NBTE for the accreditation of the engineering course, noting that NBTE did not say that the school totally failed the accreditation test, but NBTE only said that they needed to upgrade the facilities in the engineering department.

“This problem will be resolve very soon because the National TETFUND has promises us some funds, together with other individual who has showed interest to assist us.”