…Defends ‘No Fees, No Exams’
The authorities of the Rivers State University (RSU), Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt has announced that academic activities in the four new campuses outside Port Harcourt would commence in January, 2023.
Addressing journalists at a press conference ahead of the University’s 34th Convocation Ceremony which holds on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week respectively, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nlerum Okogbule said all arrangements have been put in place to ensure the smooth take off of the four campuses located at Sakpenwa, Etche, Emohua and Ahoada respectively.
“We have already appointed Heads of those campuses to ensure a smooth take-off in January, 2023”, Okogbule said, adding that the Rivers State government also completed and commissioned the new magnificent Faculties of Clinical and Basic Clinical Sciences buildings, state of the art structures which, according to him, has put the Medical College on top of other Medical Colleges in the country.
The Vice Chancellor while commending Governor Nyesom Wike for all the support given to the University, prayed God to reward him for the show of what he called ‘uncommon support to the university’.
Professor Okogbule further reeled off his achievements within his stint as Vice Chancellor to include carrying out all academic activities throughout the eight months that universities were on strike across the country following nationwide strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“We successfully completed the 2021/2022 session even as some universities are still struggling to complete the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic sessions. We achieved this feat because of the understanding we have with the proprietors of the university, Rivers State government and a corresponding robust relationship with the four Unions on Campus and the student populace”, he said.
He further revealed that through the collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), a number of other projects have been completed on the campus while some are ongoing.
On the ‘No Fee, No Examination’ policy which had generated controversies between students and the authorities, Prof. Okogbule disclosed that the policy had paid off following massive compliance by students.
He explained that the university was in a sad situation where according to him, some students who are in level 300 had not paid fees at all and did not even have matriculation numbers, adding that these students were writing their names on sheets of paper during examinations.
“From this exercise, over 3000 students who would otherwise not have paid their fees have done so now. Three Local Governments eventually came to the rescue of some students from their local government areas”, he stated, adding that special examination for those who paid their fees later have been scheduled to hold from Monday, 12th December, 2022.
Statistics of the graduating students revealed by the Vice Chancellor showed that 3,314 bagged Bachelor’s Degree with 56 earning First Class while 4,982 bagged Post-Graduate Degrees.
