The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Banku Obi has said she won’t mind putting off the ongoing second semester’s examination of the institution for now in order to allow students complete their course registration. This was contained in her reaction to students demonstration yesterday for not being allowed to participate in the examination.
Prof. Obi who noted that the policy has been on for two years now, but the situation has not changed as students leaders keep pleading to allow students who have paid fees, but not registered to write examinations even when course registration campaign have been carried out to create awareness. In her word,
“For two years now, the story has remained the same. Allow students who have paid fees, but not registered their courses to write examinations. I recall a course registration campaign in 2021.
“Today, we have 29,000 students who have registered. Meaning, less than 10,000 students haven’t registered which is still a high number.
The VC who decried the situation said the system cannot continue with the abnormality or aberration, noting that there’s no university in the world even in Nigeria where students pays only school fees and departmental dues and walk into examination halls without registering their courses.
Prof. Obi who reiterated her commitment to students welfare said that she is only putting and implementing policies that will help students graduate early. This was most recently seen as mop up examinations was given to those who were no longer students.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, “if I could organize mop up examinations to those students who were almost thrown out, I can do anything within the law to for my students to graduate, but not by compulsion or force”.
However, the Vice-Chancellor has assured that the affected students will write their examinations as first attempt, but investigation and appropriate sanctions will be mated on those holding the University to ransome.
Speaking tough on this, the VC hinted that she has been told that some staff are collecting money from students for scratch card while promising to register them, but never. She also noted that some refused to upload results thereby purposefully punishing the students.
While assuring that no staff will go scot free if found guilty, Prof. Obi however maintained that the issues needs to be sorted out rather than continuing with the aberration.
In clear terms, the VC said, “students will be given opportunity to register and write their examinations, but will not write examinations without registration of courses.
Prof. Obi who said the University must begin to do the correct thing like other universities, maintained that no students under her watch will be punished in whatever form unduly, adding that staff must learn to do proper thing while students also do the needful.
However, reacting to the continued Students Union Government(SUG) President, Tyron Bassey’s plea for a total waver of course registration for students who have not registered to enable them write the examination, Prof. Obi said she won’t mind putting off the exams now to allow students register while charging the President to ask his students to do the proper thing or report lecturers who are stumbling to their academic successes to her.
The Vice-Chancellor who berated the students said that the academic session has been on for 17 months now and they are still talking about course registration pointing out that it’s so shameful for the world to know that Unical students do not do course registration yet, write exams.
In her final remarks, Prof. Obi reaffirming her Administration commitment to protecting students interests saying, “course registration is the way to protect students interests. The era of delaying students graduation in Unical must be done with. With course registration, every lecturer will account for every registered students in his or her course.
©Onigah Joseph