GBENRO ADESINA/IBADAN
The Senate of the University of Ibadan would meet next Thursday to decide when the school would be reopened and how to tackle other problems affecting the premier tertiary institution, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka, the Vice Chancellor said on Tuesday.
The Vice Chancellor spoke at a meeting convened by the university to discuss the problems besetting the institution, including students’ unrest with parents.
The stakeholders, mostly parents of the institutions and management of the institution identified underfunding of the educational sector and lack of discipline among the students as the main causes of the perennial crises that have rocked the University during the over three hours meeting.
Majority of the parents who spoke at the meeting condemned the students for their recent violent protest that forced their school authority to close down the school.
They however appealed to the school authority to reopen the University as early as possible for the students to return and continue with their academic activities.
In his presentation, Professor Olayinka painted a gory picture of inadequate funding of the institution stressing that the National Assembly told him recently that federal allocation to the school might not improve as a result of paucity of money in the country.
He lamented the state of the school saying that he felt bad that the school lacks necessary facilities that could enhance sound academic activities.
He also disclosed that there is no way the institution could mobilize its students for National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, this year saying that the earliest the session could be brought to a close this year is December.
Olayinka who decried the various abuses, maligning and threats by the students to his person, said, “I have forgiven them all.”
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