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No fewer than 50 students of the Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State, will graduate from the institution with first class during the convocation of the 2033/2024 academic session of the university.
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Olasebikan Fakoloju, disclosed this on Monday on the campus of the institution.
According to the VC, a total of 626 students of the institution would be conferred with a first degree, while 114 students would be graduating at the postgraduate level.
Giving the breakdown of the category of degrees, Fakolujo said, “Out of these 626 graduates, 50 made first-class honours, 290 in the second-class upper division, 215 in the second-class lower division, 67 made third and four graduated with a pass.”
The don also announced Miss Mary Omachi of the Department of Mass Communication as the best-graduating student of the school having finished with a cumulative grade point average of 4.88.
He noted that the university has been thriving well in the area of academics and research, stressing that all its graduates were doing well in their various disciplines.
Speaking on the newly introduced student loan scheme of the Federal Government, the JABU boss urged the government to allow students of private universities to benefit from the newly introduced student loan scheme.
According to him, private university students deserve to benefit from the scheme as Nigerian citizens.
He said, “First of all, Nigerian students in private universities have the same citizenship rights as those in public universities. They must enjoy benefits available to all Nigerian students and should be allowed to apply for these loans. If you check the Loan Scheme Act, it is titled Nigerian University Student Loan Scheme, not Nigerian Public University Student Loan Scheme. This indicates that private university students are not excluded.
“The loans are intended for students, not the owners of private universities. Even if the government hesitates to provide third-party funding, what about the students? These loans are debts that the students themselves will repay, not the universities. Private universities are businesses that pay assessed taxes, unlike public universities. These taxes, along with other public revenues, fund the subsidised zero-interest loans. Therefore, it is unjust for private university students to be denied access to these loans.
“There could be a maximum loan amount set due to the varying tuition fees across universities. For instance, the government could cap the loan at N500,000 or N1 million, depending on the program. On this basis, I strongly believe that the government should revisit this issue and ensure the loan facility is made available to students in both public and private universities.”
The don stated that some notable Nigerians would be awarded honorary degrees on the convocation day, among whom is the wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.