Inside The Polytechnic Where Academic Corruption Thrives (Part I) Without much ado, just as was done for students before me, she asked me to pen my name with matriculation number of is optional and paid to the fat lady. I penned down name my name with a wrong matriculation numberAside cultism, extortion of students by the academic staffs of The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo state has been a major concern for a long time of which the story has never been told.
In this part, Uthman Samad, in details chronicles into the unwavering academic corruption in the institution revolving around the compulsory payment of dues, buying of the handout at an exorbitant price and grade racketeering amongst others.
(Introduction)
“Mind you, buying the handout for this course is a prerequisite to passing your test Your ticket to entering for the exam, pay to your group leader and he should bring the money to me It’s just 1k”
This was the end-note of Mr. Adio on an early morning class of National Diploma II of the department of mass communication in a one thousand sitter lecture theatre of Ibadan Polytechnic in Oyo state. Though noisy, like in the popular Gbagi market of the town, Mr. Adio’s message to the class after a short lecture was audible, even to the deaf.
Not a student of the institution, this reporter was able to maneuver his ways to join the group leaders to see the lecturer out of the class to buy the handout in bulk for their group members.
The lecturer who takes “photography and photojournalism” opened his Mercedez Benz 190 to distribute the published handouts to the group leaders.
This has been the norm for Mr. Adio which is understandable to the students. The group leaders paid according to the number of their groups or less, based on the number of whoever pays as the maximum number per group is 20. The least amount paid by group leaders was 10,000Naira for ten members.
This reporter tried to pay for the handout individually but was told by a student that “Mr. Adio does not collect individual payment”. He said on a low tone so for him not to be heard by the lecturer.
Here in “Poly Ibadan” as it is called by all, buying of a handout is a norm which has never been questioned by any arm of the authority nor the standing union of students.
According to one of the present students’ union executives who begged anonymity said that “there are most times issues like this will be frowned at in the students’ union meetings including levies but the fact is facing the authority is another something”.
“Even when we do, in short roundtable our own share will be decided upon and we keep off the matter.”
The Polytechnic Ibadan is one of the relics of the old Oyo state, established 48 years ago into the heart of the state with other campuses sprawling through the neighboring towns of the state to Saki and Eruwa.
In 2014, the two satellite campuses at Saki and Eruwa became autonomous as full-fledged institutions under the Abiola Ajimobi administration and renamed The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki and the Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa respectively. Since then, these institutions have been headed independently by different management.
The Polytechnic, Ibadan is divided into north and south campuses with five faculties housing 23 departments with over 19 thousand students.
Buying of handouts as the safe way to exam hall and tests
This investigation got to understand after interviews from students of the institution of their ordeal during examination and test period after they failed to buy any of their handouts or material.
Salam and Aderanti in their different account narrated how they were sent off examination hall after they failed to get a handout for one of their courses.
For Salam, an HND 1 student of Public Administration recounts his experience while sitting for one of the papers during his final National Diploma Part 2 program.
“I have been seeing students talking about this in other departments same as here but I was marveled when the lecturer was using his sold handout for the semester as the pass into the exam hall,” Salam said with a face full of disapproval.
“To my greatest surprise, I begged this man for over thirty minutes out of the two hours for the exam, do you want to hear, I had to run around to get the #1000. I didn’t even get the handout, I just paid and I was allowed to enter.
“We have always been told in classes whenever this man comes that we should submit our given assignments with the handout for grading. We that we didn’t get the handout our assignments are not always collected not to talk of grading.
“We were much that didn’t buy them. This was during my ND1 second semester. We all thought it’s a joke until we see the reality when this man asked us to queue into the exam hall with our handouts for the course in our hands. Beside him, that day was the remaining bulk of the handout copies”
“My brother, we bought it all to the extent that it got to a time the lecturer collected the money with nothing to give as handouts. But we later wrote the exam.” Aderanti recounted her experience with her pathetic voice.”
In another account of a public administration student, Kabir, narrated: “It started as a play when our research methodology lecturer came into the class and told everyone that we are not going to sit for the exam nor test except we purchase the research methodology textbook from him, of course, it is normal we buy a textbook but not directly from his hand.
“What the school rule says is that we should buy from the school bookshop. He was saying this when we have less than 3 weeks to the exam o. why not the beginning of the semester if truly he really loves us for academic purpose?
“So they want to market the book indirectly because they know that the only way to do that is to force us to buy the textbook because no one will buy it after the exam. What they later did was that they forced us to buy the textbook from them; it was even handout they called it because it was branded like a textbook because our lecturer said it frantically that without purchasing the textbook and without buying it, you are going to fail the course.”
“Everybody was scared of failure at that time, but for me, I dared him that he should go on and do his worst. Some of us didn’t buy it then. I could remember we sat for the exam at the 1000sitter capacity hall at the middle belt. When we got to the exam hall surprisingly, we were checked in and those that didn’t buy the handout were sent back.”
This similar action was also confirmed during one of the classes of the ND2 students of mass communication, Where Mr. Adeniran told the pool of students to submit the given assignment by a week after, with the inclusion of their respective handouts for grading, this assignment costs 20marks.
Mr. Bamishaye, a junior lecturer of the department of mass communication also reinforced abysmal in the system. He takes “newspaper editing and production” and “public relation media and methods.”
In a visit to his half portioned office where he sales handouts of courses to the students of the department, he was caught telling one of his students that each handout for his anchored courses attracts 20 marks........ continue reading http://saharareporters.com/2019/07/05/inside-polytechnic-where-academic-corruption-thrives-part-i |
