The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, Federal Polytechnic Ede chapter has dissociated itself from the ongoing Computer Based Examination being conducted by management of the institution for students.
ASUP Chairman, Nurudeen Masopa after a Congress of the union held on the school campus on Wednesday, told newsmen that ASUP members are still on strike as directed by the zonal chapter of the union and are not part of the ongoing examination.
Masopa added that the ongoing examination was not approved by Academic Board as it cannot sit since its Chairman, Dr Taiwo Adekolawole, who is also the Rector of the institution has been suspended.
Masopa said, “Proliferation of academic activities got to its peak upon the conduct of examinations without the knowledge and approval of the Academic Board , Deans of Schools, Heads of Academic Departments as well as the course lecturers who are the direct examiners .Apart from the fact that the questions for the examinations were neither submitted nor certified by the course lecturers, it was supervised/invigilated by security agents ,students cadets who are also students and examinee in the institution. The quality of the examinations cannot be ascertained, thereby making the whole exercise unacceptable.”
The union also alleged the Rector of disobedience to the resolution of the Academic Board mandating him to stop the dual award programme being run at Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun and Ilori College of Education.
Masopa added that the action of the Rector are affecting the institution badly, noting that the union will not be part of any Academic activities until a the Academic Board is properly inaugurated again.
“These are remote and immediate problems that are bedeviling Federal Polytechnic Ede, under the administration of Dr. J. T Adekolawole, which has badly affected the system, These practices are outrightly alien to academic culture and unacceptable, hence the union hereby condemned it in strong terms in its entirety .
“While it is recognized that the civility of the union, Academic Board and members of the community has been taken for granted and tending towards been exhausted, members are enjoined to stay calm but remain resolute on the path to bring forth sanity to the system.”
In his contribution, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUP in Southwest States and Kwara, Engr Nureni Yekini who was also present at the Congress, said the national body of the Academic union is keenly watching the situation at Ede, stating that its position has been communicated to the appropriate authorities.
“I’m here on the instruction of our national president. ASUP at the national level is keenly watching the situation in Ede and we have in December last year taken a position and communicated such to appropriate authorities. If the Federal Government is serious about fighting corruption, what is happening in Ede is enough for them to have taken action.”
In his reaction, the Rector, Dr Adekolawole described all the allegations against him by the ASUP as fallacies. He said the leadership of the union is only trying to blackmail him.
Adekolawole insisted that he has never violated any provision of the extant law governing the institution. He said the Academic Board had earlier in the year approved the timetable which covers the examination period.
“I have never violated any extant law governing the school. At the beginning of every session, the Academic Board will approve the calendar that will include lecture time, revision period, CA, examination period among others. So, there’s no need of taking what the board has approved earlier back to it. The examination conducted is valid and legal.
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“Moreover, ASUP said they were not going to truncate the exams, after we met their demands last year. We paid parts of the areas they were agitating for.”
Reacting to the allegations of corruption, Adekolawole said the ASUP leadership is the one supporting corruption committed by its members. “Everything you see or hear is just a blackmail.”
