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From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
The Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Edward Olanipekun, has said the number of tertiary institutions particularly universities in the country is not enough compared to the teeming applicants seeking admissions into these institutions.
Olanipekun, who said the low number of tertiary institutions, has been responsible for why many qualified candidates are denied admission yearly. He urged the federal and state governments to establish more universities to accommodate the large number of applicants seeking admission.
The VC, who said Nigeria needs more universities because of her growing population, regretted that funding for the ivory towers has been a major problem over the years. The VC urged governments to prioritise funding for the institutions to address the challenges plaguing the university system.
The Professor of Industrial Chemistry made this known during an interview with newsmen in his office where he also reeled out some of his achievements of almost five years as VC of EKSU.
His words: “We don’t have enough tertiary institutions in the country to accommodate the teeming applicants who are craving for university education. Looking at the available statistics, less than 10 per cent of students writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) yearly are lucky to secure admission into the few available ones.
“I think establishing universities is good but funding them is something that is germane. And that has been a recurring issue that is leading to imbroglio between government and the staff unions. This is an issue that the government has to look into seriously on how it can be addressed. There are still other challenges universities in the country are facing, which include problem of accommodation for the students on campus.
“It will be nice having almost all students residing on campus.
There is dearth of infrastructure in the available universities and having more is not a problem but they must be well funded. Conscious efforts must be made by governments to fund education, especially at the tertiary level.”
Responding to question on entrepreneurship for undergraduates, Olanipekun said, “I don’t subscribe to the idea of graduates looking for white-collar jobs after school. Things have changed over time. It is no longer the certificate one is carrying that can only bring food to the table, you can do other things after graduation to become an employer of labour.
“To bridge that gap, our university has a very good and robust entrepreneurship study centre, where every student will learn at least one skill before graduation and it is compulsory for all students. We have quite a number of activities going on there, which can make them self- reliant and independent. We thank TETFund for providing the needed funds for equipping the centre.
“Talking about food security, it is something that must be taking seriously, because without food security there will be problems. If we are not able to feed ourselves there are bound to be challenges.
“The Senate in its wisdom has just decided that, henceforth, all students should take agriculture as a compulsory course. In other words, they must have a grasp of something that has to do with agriculture. So, the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences is putting the curriculum together and as soon as that is concluded, it will be rolled out. We know the importance of food security, particularly in our present society.
“So, in terms of entrepreneurship, we are ensuring that all our undergraduates learn one skill before they leave the university. The university is ready to support them to acquire facilities that would enable them to set up their own businesses after graduation. It is compulsory for all students, including medical students, to learn one skill depending on their time. Some can even learn two or more.”
Olanipekun hinted that EKSU has been doing well in terms of research especially with the recent commissioning of the Office of Research, Development and Innovation. He added that the institution is also not resting on its oars to ensure that better groundbreaking research findings are recorded by the university.
The VC, however, noted that research costs a lot of money, noting that If not for TETFund it would have been practically difficult for the university to conduct new researches.
“We need a lot of funds to be able to conduct research. It is an area we also need the support of government. The government should be able to set aside some funds for universities to carryout these researches.”
Speaking on some of the achievements of his administration, Olanipekun said, “Inherited promotion arrears of staff has been defrayed. So we don’t have any pending in this university and we have been able to clear all the backlogs. People have been receiving their letters of promotion as and when due.
“Also, workers that were sacked and disengaged by the governing council of the institution in 2019 are back in the university without losing anything and we ensured that their benefits are being paid.
“Arrears of emoluments are also being paid with the support of the proprietor, Governor Biodun Oyebanji. We have been able to defray most of the emoluments of staff and retirees even though we still have some that are still pending.
“National Universities Commission (NUC) has also granted the university the approval to start some new programmes at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.Starting from 2023/2024 academic session, students will be admitted into these new programmes.
“In term of infrastructure, a lot of projects have been completed by the federal government through Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). Ultra modern medical facilities – Faculty of Clinical Sciences of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, (EKSUTH) and the construction of basic science laboratories is almost completed. There are so many other ongoing projects.
“Courtesy of the Alumni Association of the university, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has almost completed the construction of medical hostel for the university. The construction of the road linking the College of Medicine and the Alumni village is also nearing completion and this will open up some parts of the university for development.”
He expressed gratitude to the Visitor to the university, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, for approving the connection of the university to the state Independent Power Plant (IPP).
“By the time it is completed, it will save the university a lot of money. We are currently spending a lot of money in powering generating sets and it will also make the university eco- friendly because some of the emissions from the generating sets are not good for the environment, as they constitute pollutants. The environment will be made conducive for research and even administrative activities.”
