Education
RSU Management Policy On ‘No Fees, No Exams’, Fate Of Students
It’s over weeks now after some students of the Rivers State University (RSU) protested over the decision taken by the school management to embarked on their policy of ‘No School Fees, no examination’ drive.
The Tide correspondent gathered that the protest recorded some positive responses from two Local Government Areas chairmen and well meaning individuals that came to the aids of some of the students, while some are still not able to pay.
The Tide correspondent also learnt that those students that are unable to pay their school fees were still not allowed to participate in the ongoing examinations.
The source further revealed that although they may be given concession to write whenever they paid their fees, but the source wasn’t quite sure how the school management intend to achieve this since the students were not paying the fees at the same time.
It is worthy to note that the final year examination started Monday, October 24, 2022 and is still ongoing till date, students who were unable to pay their school fees were asked to leave the examination halls.
No fewer than 8,000 Final year students of the Rivers State University, protested against the school management’s policy of “no school fees, no examination,” but it all falls on deaf ears of the school management.
The students were seen on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, carrying placards and protesting along the highway, while calling on the state government to prevail on the school authorities to reverse the draconian policy.
One of the protesting students who spoke with The Tide Correspondent, Ihunwo Christian said, “My mother is a pensioner and the Rivers State Government have failed to pay retirees gratuity and pension arrears as a result things have been very difficult with us. My father is dead and no one to help me, except my mum.
“I wondered why a State University would send indigent students of the state out of examination halls merely because they can’t afford school fees now, but they would have hold our results and certificates instead and not to denied us writing the examination same time with our other colleagues,” he added.
The plights of some of these students were taken care of by some well meaning individuals as well as two their Local Government chairmen, but we hope the final decision by RSU Management at the end is favorable to all.
By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
A professor of Highway Engineering at the Rivers State University (RSU), Prof. Emmanuel Osilemme Ekwulo, has identified poor designs, inadequate materials, insufficient testing, and lack of accountability as major obstacles to the success of highway construction projects in the country.
Ekwulo made this remark in Port Harcourt last Wednesday during the 128th inaugural lecture series of the university, where he presented a lecture titled “Removing Roadblocks: Rebuilding a Foundation for Reliable Highway Pavement Infrastructure.”
The university don lamented the consistent premature failures of road construction projects nationwide, despite huge investments by the government at all levels, attributing the problem to neglected basics and systemic principles in the industry.
According to him, rebuilding the foundation technically, institutionally, and ethically is crucial to building strong and lasting pavements.
Ekwulo emphasized the need for political will, professional integrity, and commitment to engineering excellence to overcome the challenges.
“The metaphoric roadblocks are those challenges causing premature failures,” Ekwulo said, adding that identifying and addressing these roadblocks is key to rebuilding the nation’s highways.
He recommended that institutions involved in road design and construction adopt a mechanistic-empirical design approach, and develop a comprehensive framework for implementing the Nigerian Imperial and Mechanistic Pavement Design System (NEMPADS) approach.
Ekwulo also advocated for mandatory traffic load analysis, strengthened university-industry collaboration, and funding for applied pavement research.
Corruption, he noted, is a major challenge in the profession, saying severe punitive measures are needed to curb shabby practices leading to premature road failures.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, described Ekwulo’s lecture as interesting and intriguing, highlighting the importance of implementing solutions to Nigeria’s highway challenges.
The Vice Chancellor also described Ekwulo’s proposals as practical and applicable to government and industry stakeholders.
He said the university is committed to research aligned with national development goals, referencing its NDV-12 responsive consortium production framework.
Zeb-Obipi noted that Ekwulo’s recommendations are timely and solution-driven, and will contribute to addressing Nigeria’s highway challenges.
Akujobi Amadi
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