JAMB Delists Four
Osun State Owned Tertiary Institution From Website
By Gbenga Faturoti,
OSOGBO.
The Joint Admission
and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has delisted four tertiary institutions owned by
Osun State Government from its website. They were said to be delisted for next
two academic sessions on the request of the state government over plans to
restructure them.
The institutions ?as
made known by the Alumni
Associations of the
four state-owned tertiary institutions are Osun state Polytechnic Iree, Osun
State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun State College of Education, Ila
Orangun, and Osun state College of Education, Ilesa.
This is as no fewer
than 50,000 students who have been offered admission to study various courses
in the four institutions might forfeit their admissions.
The President of
OSPOLY Alumni, Iree who is
spokesperson of the
alumni bodies, Mrs. Mobola
Odebode said state
government had written to JAMB to delist the affected institutions for the next
two years in order to give way for its proposed restructuring of the
institutions.
Odebobe who was
flanked by other alumni Presidents said the state government has refused to
listen to the voice of reasoning on the rumoured merger of the four tertiary
institutions stressing that Governor Rauf Aregbesola is trying to obliterate
polytechnic education in the state.
She said that most
of the affected admission seekers to these institutions had been offered
provision admission for 2015/2016 academic sessions but were surprised to find
out that their potential schools are no longer on the JAMB portals.
Her words: “It is
painful that despite pleas from
traditional rulers, host
communities, political parties,
students, market
women, Alumni Associations and well meaning Nigerians, the government has
refused to listen to he voice of reasoning on the matter. As products of
institutions, we had resolved to continue the struggle to protect the existence
of these institutions.
”Part of the
frustrations we envisaged is already
manifesting. It is
before the public knowledge that the state government, last week sacked over
250 workers in Osun state Colleges of Education, Ila Orangun and Ilesa. These
institutions already lack academic and non academic staff for the past five
years.
”Also, over 50,000
students who applied to the four
state owned tertiary
institutions through Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will be
denied admission as the government has written to the admission body to delist
these four institutions for the next two years. This means that none of the
affect state-owned institutions is on the list of JAMB.”
Odebode also
disclosed that Osun state government had ordered the four institutions to
advertise admission for vocational and remedial studies thus querying the
government on why polytechnic should lay the role that a technical college
could play more effectively.
She said “It is
rather ironical that at a period that China is converting universities to
polytechnics to advance the technological education as a key for the growth AF
development of the country, the state of Osun government is trying to
obliterate polytechnic education.
“We are so confident
that the government wants to
destroy the whole
system for their private business
benefits. We are
fully aware of correspondences between some private institutions approaching
the affected institutions to divert their admitted students to their various
schools,” Odebode added.
The alumni body
however condemned the alleged
dismissal of the
over 250 workers and demanded for
their reinstatement.
The associations
also demanded that the state
government withdraw
the letter written to JAMB to allow admission to the affected institutions ad
allow candidates who have been offered provisional admission to continue their
programmes.
dailyindependentnig.com
