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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Provost of the College of Technology, Ilesa, Osun State, Dr Lateef Raheem, has explained that students of the college were banned from carrying pregnancy as part of measures to curb indiscipline.
He disclosed that violation of the rule attracts an extra year, same as a student who did not meet up with 80 per cent of class attendants.
While speaking with our correspondent in Ilesa at the weekend, the provost explained that some of the Higher National Diploma (HND) courses have not been approved by the regulatory body, hence the refusal to mobilise them for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Noting that he became the first substantive Provost of the college in February 2023 because the college has been under the supervision of the Ministry of Education since 1977 when it was founded, Raheem attributed his refusal to compromise the standard to the reason why he was accused of denying some students from being mobilised for the NYSC.
Some students of the Dental Therapy Department recently accused the provost of preventing them from going to NYSC
Responding to the allegation, Raheem disclosed that HND graduates of the Environmental Department have now been mobilised twice after their accreditation, noting that plans have been perfected to ensure resource inspection of eight courses.
He explained further that the students of Dental Therapy wanted to present themselves for NYSC as graduates of Environmental studies after collecting certificates as Dental Therapists, and his refusal to cooperate with them and compromise caused the allegation.
“I learnt that the students were taken to JAMB before I assumed office and the Therapy students were given letters. They want to collect certificates of Therapists and go to NYSC claiming to be environmental students. I said I can not do it. I only promised to facilitate the accreditation of their department but they said no.
“The Ministry of Health and House of Assembly warned me not to do it when I explained my position to them. I’ve written the NBTE for resource accreditation for HND. That is the normal route I can take,” Raheem said.
Reacting to the question of why the college has not issued certificates to its students who had graduated since 2016, Raheem explained that he inherited the problem when he assumed office in February 2023 and over 20,000 certificates have now been printed and ready to be distributed to the affected students.
The Provost explained that the college has never compromised in the admission to students noting that the total number of students in the college is 3,066 because of the quota, saying that over 1,000 applied for Community Extension Workers but the college cannot take more than 75.
