OAU: Students' Union Action Committee Petitions NUC as Regards the Conduct of Examinations.

Peter Oyebanji

The Action Committee of Obafemi Awolowo University has petitioned the National Universities Commission (NUC) as regards the conduct of examinations which has been kicked against by students.

The Action Committee was set up after the suspension of the students union and its executives in 2017.

It should be recalled that this news outfit reported how students grossly voted against the conduct of the examination and also took steps to counter the management's decisions. Petitioning NUC was one of the resolutions made in the congress.

The petition, released by the action committee and signed by the protem chairman, Gbenga Oloniniran Von was detailed with salient issues and recommendations.

Affected faculties were listed and how the management's decision contradicts the school's regulations was also discussed.

"We wish to clearly state that upon resumption of the 2017/18 Rain semester in the university on the 2nd of October, lectures barely began at various faculties and departments until the third week of resumption."

"Since the commencement of lectures in the semester, by the virtue of the ongoing nationwide industrial action of the Academic staff union of universities, ASUU, certain courses in various departments, particularly in the departments of Botany, Zoology, English, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Agriculture, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Geography, Arts and Social Sciences Education, Facility of Administration (Departments of International Relations, Public Administration, Local Government Studies), just to mention a few, have not held a single class till this moment for some of their courses."

"It became a shock to students upon realization that these same courses which lectures have not held, have equally been included in the examination timetable."

"This development is outrightly in contrary to the university regulation guiding the conduct of examinations and the qualifications of students to sit for it. According to the regulation of Obafemi Awolowo university, a semester requires about twelve (12) weeks of lectures and a lecture free week before examinations."

"Contrary to this, in this semester, some lectures have barely held for more than five (5) weeks. Seventy five percent (75%) of students attendance is also required before students are qualified to sit for examinations, this has not been the case for this semester."

NUC was also briefed on how the lecture-free week has also been filled with classes and the steps that have been taken to communicate the danger of the decision to the management.

The action committee also made recommendations to the NUC as regards this issue and the educational sector.

"In lieu of this, we use this medium to call the attention of the National Universities Commission, as a responsible body and arm of the government, to immediately probe into this academic irregularity that is ongoing in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife before situations get out of hand.

"We wish to also use this means to state that the NUC should not just stop at conducting accreditations exercise in universities, but should always table the reports with adequate recommendations to the responsible quarters of the government for swift intervention to save public education from emptiness and total ruin that is fast encroaching them."

However, the school management still insists on starting examinations on Monday as recently stated  in different releases by the school registrar, Margaret Omosule and the Dean of Students'affairs, Isiaka Aransi.