FORMER STUDENTS SHUT IBARAPA POLYTECHNIC OVER NON ACCREDITATION OF COURSES

The aggrieved students in their hundreds shut down the main gate leading to the school premises, complaining that the institution management has failed in the responsibilities to resolve the issue, also alleging that the management has mismanaged funds which are meant for the accreditation of the Engineering course of the institution.

The protesting students while speaking with journalists said that the management resolved to meet them on Wednesday by 8am to address the issue and the management failure to come on time was what led to the closure of the main gate.

“We have not heard anything about this issue since our last protest, all our effort to get in touch to the authority concern  proved abortive, our problems are yet to be attended to and we are here to show our grievances’, the protesters declared.

The National Senate President of the Federation of Oyo State Students Union,(FOSSU), Comrade Wasiu Oke while speaking noted that the cry of the aggrieved ex-students of the school has gotten to the association, adding that as a student body, it was necessary  to take up the struggle and make sure that the matter is resolve on time.

“We want to urge the Oyo State Government to do their best to resolve this issue, the Management of this Institution in conjuction with the NBTE must also make sure that this problem is resolve on time”,Oke declared

The students leader pointed out that his colleagues have  been delayed for so long and their problem has not been resolved, noting that authority concern should come to the aids of the students before it get out of hands.

The Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS) in Oyo State, Comrade Olujuwon Asubiojo said that the association was not interested in all the technical excuses giving by the management of the institution, adding that what the students want is for the management to resolve the issue without any delay.

“What we are requesting from the school management is to resolve this problem on time, the Oyo State Government should be ready to fund the accreditation and the management also should be accountable for all the money they have collected’.

The Rector of the institution, Eyitayo Iyiola while addressing the protesters said that the basic cause of the problem was short of funds from the Oyo State Government and misinformation from the Faculty of Engineering of the Institution.

“The Management of the School didn’t have enough fund to buy Engineering materials to accredit the Engineering courses, and we have been misinformed by the faculty concerning the accreditation’, explaining that N600 million was proposed by the faculty of Engineering for the procurement and upgrading of Engineering materials so that the NBTE can come to inspect and accredit the courses’,he stated.

The Rector added, “funding and misinformation was the basic cause of this issue, we have meet several times and we keeps on saying the same thing, the issue we are having relies on finance”

The Rector emphasised that the problem also came from the faculty because the School Management did not get information that the facilities the Engineering Department haS on ground cannot be satisfied by National Basic Technical Education (NBTE) for the accreditation of the Engineering course,.

Penpushing further reports that, the Rector said, and noted that National Basic for Technical Education (NBTE) did not say that the school totally failed the accreditation test, but only said that the management needed to upgrade the facilities in the Engineering Department.

“This problem will be resolve very soon because the National TETFUND has promises us some funds, together with other individual who has showed interest to assist us”, the rector pleaded