Many Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates prefer the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN). They believe that the university gives its students the best. But, students must be disciplined to complete their programmes at the institution, reports ADEKUNLE JIMOH Ilorin
Many candidates prefer the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) to other universities because of one thing: ‘its uninterrupted academic calendar’.
The 40-year old university sits comfortably on top of the list of “The Statistics of Choice of Institutions” generated from the enrolment records of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
It has topped the list for two years running. In the 2015/2016 UTME, which was fully computer-based, 107,491 of the 1.4 million candidates that took the examination chose UNILORIN as their most preferred institution to attend. For the 2014/2015 UTME, the university had 105,000 seeking to be admitted into the university. Second placed University of Benin for both years, recorded about 30,000 less candidates (71, 497 this year, and 76,000 last year).
Records show that the university has steadily grown. In 2011, it was the 8th most preferred university, which improved to fifth in 2012; second and second in 2013.
However, while the university is increasingly popular with new applicants, its authorities have not hesitated in wielding the big stick against deviant and erring students.
Strict adherence to rules and regulation is required of students. And many who have fallen foul of the rules have been shown the way out.
The rules guiding student activities as contained in the students’ handbook states that: “A student shall not engage in any form of activity, alone or with any other person or group, which interferes with, restricts, hinders or adversely affects the objectives of the university; not engage in any form of activity whether alone or with any other person or group which interferes with, restricts, hinders or adversely affects the rights of any person duly authorized and lawfully present on university premises to express any view of any subject peacefully or which prevents any person duly authorized from entering, passing through, or leaving the university premises for such purposes and not engage in any form of activity which interferes with, restricts, hinders, disrupts, or adversely affects teaching, research, study of any kind etc.”
Others are: “Every student (male or female) must dress decently, every student must avoid any dress that may expose sensitive and vital areas of the body; conduct himself/herself in such a way that his/her priority is to live a wholesome life devoid of anti-social activities especially cultism; not engage in any dishonest, false or other misleading representation or activity which affects academic assessments or examination and to obey all examination regulations, among others.”
Sanctions for violation of these rules attract fines, restitution, reprimand and warning, suspension/rustication and expulsion.
In April 13 students faced the UNILORIN Students Disciplinary Committee (SDC); seven of them were found to have run afoul of the university rules and were expelled. Two were rusticated for a semester each while four were exonerated.
In the last four sessions the university has disciplined no fewer than 50 students. In the last session alone the university expelled 11 students and rusticated three per semester each based on the offences of association with external cult groups and examination malpractices.
During the matriculation of the 2014/2015 academic session, the Vice chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali warned the new students to make choices carefully as their choices could determine their future in the university.
“Although everyone with native wisdom and good conscience knows what is right and wrong, many people still find themselves on the wrong lane,” he said.
More recently, speaking on the expulsion of some students, Ambali said that it was not an easy decision asking students to leave the institution. But it is one that is taken to protect its integrity, after serious consideration.
“Management usually feels very sad when it has to resort to asking people to leave, but all the same, the University was established to build students that are found worthy in character and learning. Despite their academic excellence if we feel that character-wise they have refused to be molded, we are left with no choice than to tell them to leave.
“We have about 30,000 students. When parents send their wards to study it means that their welfare is under our care; which means we have to monitor all of them and if we find one of them as a threat, we often ask that person to go,” he said.
Ambali however explained that the severity of the offences varies, and that the university hardly expels students for dress code offenses as there are other forms of punishment adopted for less serious offences. He also said details of the offenses are not made public.
“The specific offences of the expelled students are always released to their parents or guardians but we try as much as possible not to publicise these in the hope that the punishment meted on them will not affect them in trying to further education elsewhere,” he said.
Speaking on the issue, the Deputy Director of Information (DDI), Kunle Akogun said expulsion is not a vindictive exercise at the university.
“There is nothing untoward about the expulsion of erring students at the University of Ilorin. It is not in any way vindictive, as it is a way of enforcing laid-down rules and regulation.
“As a matter of principle, the University of Ilorin has zero tolerance for all anti-social behaviour like cultism, theft, and examination malpractices in all their ramifications. Other offences, which the University frowns at, include indecent dressing, unkempt hair style, fighting on and off-campus, rudeness to constituted authorities, etc.
“And all students are aware of this because one of the first documents given to each matriculated student on resumption at the University is the Students’ Handbook, which details all the dos and don’ts on the campus. And once a student signs and submits the Matriculation Oath, he has elected to abide by all the rules and regulations of the school.”
Akogun said students who run afoul of the university rules and regulations are properly arraigned before the Students Disciplinary Committee and given fair hearing. If convicted, they can also appeal to the University Council, within 48 days of the committee’s sitting, if they feel unsatisfied with the SDC’s decision.
He described the number of expelled students as minimal and not one that should generate undue concern.
“Probably because of the general awareness of this body of rules among our students and the attendant penalties against default, the frequency of default is minimal. In view of this, the number of expelled students is quite negligible. But even at that, it is a step that the University authority takes with great pains.
Akogun attributed the stability enjoyed in the university to the level of discipline of the students because the institution places equal emphasis on character as learning.
“This is why we enjoy an unparalleled harmony and unprecedented academic stability here. This is why parents will go to any length in making sure that their wards gain admission to the University of Ilorin. And this is why the University has consistently led the table of most subscribed university by admission seekers in the country for the third year running now,” he said.
For students who spoke on the issue with The Nation, the rules are not too difficult to follow.
A post graduate student (names withheld), even noted that the current vice chancellor’s crusade against anti social vices lack steam and bite, adding that is responsible for pockets of examination malpractices in the school.
The source said that his predecessor, Prof Is-haq Oloyede had a firmer grip on the campus.
“This vice chancellor is laying more emphasis on the infrastructural development on campus; that is why magnificent buildings are springing up here and there on the campus. Prof Oloyede was in total control. I am not saying this man is not trying but I want him to put in more effort in tackling students’ vices on campus,” the student said.
However, another student of the department of Educational Technology said the strict rules have engendered discipline and orderly behavior of students on campus.
For another 200-level student Of Library and Information Technology, the institution has the rules to thank for eliminating cultism on campus.
“Indeed, that word cultism is alien to many of the university of Ilorin students as we are not aware of its existence here,” he said.
