We equip students with entrepreneurial skills – ACU VC

  What makes Ajayi Crowther University unique? The university’s mission statement specifically puts emphasis on producing “well-rounded graduates,” hence; entrepreneurial skills have been given prominence in the general studies curriculum. This has, to a great extent, enhanced the production of future leaders that could easily be employers of labour, instead of them staying long in […]

 

What makes Ajayi Crowther University unique?

The university’s mission statement specifically puts emphasis on producing “well-rounded graduates,” hence; entrepreneurial skills have been given prominence in the general studies curriculum. This has, to a great extent, enhanced the production of future leaders that could easily be employers of labour, instead of them staying long in the employment market with little or no hope.

In actual fact, some of our past students, who have already established their own outfits, are now coming back as facilitators/staff in the entrepreneurial programme, and this has provided motivation for the students on ground. In view of the exploits by our students as stated, you will agree with me that we do not just provide academic training only; we also equip our students sufficiently to be relevant and self-reliant. Our entrepreneurial study programme is going on. Under the scheme, all students, irrespective of their courses of study, must learn a trade and be assessed on same before they graduate. Let me reiterate that we are proud to announce that many alumni of the ACU run their businesses and work for reputable firms both in Nigeria and overseas.

You said your students must gain experience on entrepreneurial issues. How do you assess the attitude and skills of students?

Henceforth, we intend to run this campus with the hands and brains of our students. That is the next stage of our development, an idea where they are taught entrepreneurial skills. Any student that must graduate from this university must have learnt a trade; fashion, baking, tailoring, etc. Whatever it is, you will learn a trade. And that is going on now. Very soon, we will ensure that the students have opportunities to be gainfully engaged by working on part-time basis.  So, during their leisure hours, they will work for two or three hours and be paid allowances based on the hours of work they do.

Very soon, we will give them the responsibility to be the cleaners of the various departments, hostels and the environment; to be the gardeners; to work in the bakery and to work in the water processing

factory so that they would acquire experience. And we will be starting next semester by the grace of God.  Within the next three months, that will be the policy.

How do you justify the high fees private universities charge and which marginalise the poor, considering your long-time crusade of tertiary education for all?

I know of private schools and colleges in Abuja and Lagos where parents pay as much as N1 million per session for their children. We also know that Nigeria has the highest number of indigenes studying in overseas institutions. Instead of patronizing foreign universities, the private universities would have been the best. The issue of high fees is because of the high cost of running the universities.

They shop from the common market. Professors have to be paid salaries as they are paid in the federal universities, electricity generation and consumption is very high, and maintaining students’ health services makes it inevitable for private universities to charge fees regarded as being high compared to what they charge in federal universities.

The solution will be as underlisted. One, the government should encourage the situation whereby the economy will be more friendly to parents. That way, they should be paying their salaries, pensions and gratuities as and when due. By so doing, parents can afford to pay for their children’s education. Many children cannot resume in school because their parents cannot pay the fees. And the parents will tell you they work for government, or even for other people and have not been paid salaries for one year, eight months, etc. And, of course, they have not been paid salaries and can hardly eat in their homes. They cannot afford to pay. Government should, please, ensure that the problem is addressed fundamentally.

The second way out is through the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFund). Incidentally, it was ASUU, in those days, that suggested to government that it (government) should impose 3 per cent tax on all companies and plough it back to education. Now, government has been taking money from the private sector, but private universities that emerged from the private sector cannot benefit from it. You take money from the tax payers, including people who own universities, yet they cannot benefit from the money. It is very unfair and unjust, and the law needs to be quickly amended so that the TETfund would be made available to the privately-owned universities. That can take care of the schedules of TETFund, which include providing infrastructure, buildings, auditoria, classrooms, laboratories, etc.

It is TETFund that funds it in federal universities and polytechnics too.

They also train people in overseas institutions, give them education and send them to conferences. If these are extended to private universities, it would impact positively on the general running costs and salaries. On that basis, the fees can crash and would be very low.

Here we still charge the lowest of all private universities in Nigeria. We also allow our students and their parents to pay their fees in three equal installments. But I think that for us to have good fees that can be affordable by many people, especially by those who own the universities, we need to realize that we need help from the government.

 JAMB should also stop over-regulating because JAMB will tell you your quota for admission is not more than 1,600. If there are more than 200,000 candidates waiting to be admitted that the federal universities cannot accommodate, not to talk of the state universities, we are more than able to admit them. If we can admit up to 2,000 and have the capacity to teach them, allow us to do so.

Your 8th convocation ceremony is around the corner, how do you plan to hold the event?

We shall be awarding honorary doctorate degrees to six eminent and highly distinguished personalities. They are General (Dr.) Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo, Professor Emeritus O. O. Akinkugbe, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Chief (Mrs.) Folorunsho Alakija, Executive Vice Chairman, Famfa Oil Limited, Oba Otudeko, Chairman, Honeywell Group and Justice Oyeyipo, the retired Chief Judge of Kwara State.

They are being awarded the honorary doctorate degrees of the university in consideration of their indelible contributions to Nigeria and humanities, individually and collectively.

Also, a total of 319 students will be graduating and awarded the certificates. Sixteen of these students are graduating in First Class honours, 66 in Second Class Upper division, 126 in second Class Lower division and 111 in Third Class division.

Among the graduating students, we have some who took part in national and global competitions and performed notably well.  Mr. Kunle Adepoju, together with students from other Nigerian universities, represented the country at the Unilever Idea Trophy contest held in London, United Kingdom, where their team emerged 4th position in the world.

Also, at the Microsoft Imaging Cup, a national competition organized by Microsoft Corporation, five of our students, two among who are graduating this year, took part in the competition and came 3rd in Nigeria.