Some 200 external students of the Lagos State University (LASU) on Monday staged a protest at the entrance to the Lagos State Government House, Alausa, Ikeja.
Displaying placards with different inscriptions, the protesters chanted solidarity songs and complained of what they termed “substandard part-time programme’’ being run by the school authorities.
They condemned the non-release of their examination results and poor treatment by the school’s authorities among others.
Bolaji Azeez, Speaker of the Students Representative Council (SRC) of LASU, who led the protest, told reporters that the part-time students deserved the same quality of instruction and treatment given to the regular students.
He, however, said the way in which the external programme of the school was being run was not good enough.
Azeez alleged that the university authorities were not issuing identity cards to the external students while examinations were conducted irregularly contrary to the practice in normal academic programmes.
The speaker said that the external students did not know when they would end their academic programmes as the university authorities had not released their past examination results.
“We in the external programme of LASU are tired of the inferior academic programme and the way we are being treated by the school authorities.
“Since 2012, LASU has only conducted three examinations. This is at variance with the system anywhere in the world.
“Also, our institution has consistently exploited us by asking us to pay for identification cards that we have never been issued.
“Some students cannot even beat their chests and proclaim themselves as students of LASU because they are yet to be issued their admission letters. Worse still, many students have been waiting endlessly to get their results released.
“The lecturers who teach us are second-rated and we do not know what they want us to make out of the whole thing.
“With all these problems, the students were made to pay between N68,000 and N75,000 as school fees, much higher than what the regular students are paying. Is it a sin to be part-time students? `’
Azeez said that the students had written a letter to Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State since July to complain about the development, but the union has yet to receive any response.
He urged the governor to respond to all their complaints in order to save their academic career.
Mr Hakeem Animashaun, the Special Assistant to the governor on Education and Youth Development, who attended to the students, commended them for the peaceful way they conducted themselves.
He promised them that he would convey their message to the governor.
(NAN)
