By Samson Ezenwa
No fewer than 90 students graduated from Christopher University (UNICHRIS),Mowe, Ogun State, with seven of them bagging First Class.
This was made known on campus by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olatunji Oyelana, during the institution’s combined convocation for three sets, 2019/2020, 2020/2021, and 2021/2022.
He said : “By simple percentage, we have combined records of First Class (15%), Second Class Upper (45 %), Second Class Lower (28 %) and Third class/Pass degree (12 %).
The VC said Esther Anyalewechi of the Department of Psychology,was the best graduating student of the 2021/2022 set, scoring the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.73.
Olatunji described the graduates as champions, who have gone through three to four years of rigorous study and have achieved excellence.
On accreditation, he said 15 courses were approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC), adding that the university plans to introduce new programmes in medicine and engineering, while the Faculty of Law kick started with the admission of students last year.
He noted plans were underway for the establishment of a Postgraduate School.
Olatunji praised the founder and Chancellor, Christopher Ezeh for his commitment to quality university education, infrastructural development, and fatherly role in the institution.
He urged the graduates to make impact in the society.
His words: “My dear students, you have been brewed and nurtured as change agents, and we expect your change impact to be profound in all sectors of our national life, and the World in general. You must continue to seek more advanced knowledge available within your chosen fields of endeavours.”
Ezeh urged the Federal Government to extend the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) grants to private universities.
He said the extension of grants to private varsities was desirable and long overdue and that it was on record that they absorbed a large number of candidates seeking admission into universities, thus lifting the burden off the already oversubscribed public universities.
He said, in spite of the skepticism that greeted the emergence of private universities on the nation’s educational landscape, private universities have since their emergence in early 2000 contributed substantially to the supply of the needed middle-level manpower in the economy.
“Some of these universities, within the short period of their existence, are making waves and have achieved international visibility through remarkable records of scientific research breakthroughs. In these respects, private universities have paid their dues and rightly deserve Federal Government recognition and assistance,” he added.