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Alumni fault low funding of alma mater, seek intervention

By Victor Gbonegun
05 November 2020   |   3:00 am
Old students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) have decried the poor funding of the institution, saying this has discouraged the academic, and non-academic staff from giving their best, particularly in the attainment of the improved national and global ranking. Speaking at the end of its 13th regular meeting, which reviewed the state of…

Old students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) have decried the poor funding of the institution, saying this has discouraged the academic, and non-academic staff from giving their best, particularly in the attainment of the improved national and global ranking.

Speaking at the end of its 13th regular meeting, which reviewed the state of affairs of the institution, the group called on the state government to improve the funding, scale-up subvention, and make education at the institution more affordable, given the harsh economic realities on parents in a post-COVID-19 lockdown era.

The association observed that there would be more wins for the school in terms of academic excellence, cutting-edge research, agribusiness, arts, and cultural heritage, entrepreneurship, human expertise, among others if the issue of improved funding and enhanced staff motivation are given utmost priority.

In a communiqué jointly signed by the president, Kunle Adetoba, and secretary, Seyi Oluwalade, the association said there is an urgent need to address the exclusion of the university from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) beneficiary list on infrastructure, as well as preventing the general decay of existing infrastructure in the institution.

The communiqué read in part: “We want a university where members of staff would be motivated with improved welfare and remuneration; students’ needs would be met; a conducive academic environment; and an institution where alumni members would be proud to give back to. In essence, we desire a university that is 21st century compliant, a status that is unachievable without the active involvement of the proprietor, the Ondo State government.”

The group noted that the yearly student empowerment programme, designed by the association, has been a major tool with which the association contributes to the mental preparation of the students for life after school.

They listed their areas of intervention as the provision of solar lighting installations and building of a 200-bed space hostel on campus for the students, to help bridge accommodation deficit; donation of office equipment to the institution’s management, including desktop and laptop computers, electric power generator, while also awarding scholarships to indigent students.

“As major stakeholders in the AAUA project, we desire to continue to see the institution at an enviable position in the comity of the ivory tower in Nigeria and beyond. We desire a university that prioritises excellence in scholarship, administration, and character; one that can champion cutting-edge research to solve societal challenges; a citadel of learning whose students and graduates will be comparable to those of the world’s best universities.

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