Kogi state polytechnic is an
institution that was born out of an urgent need to fill the educational vacuum
created by the creation of the state from two other states. Created in 1993, it
is to provide and cater for the educational needs of the good people of Kogi
state.
It would be recalled that, Kogi state was carved out of Benue and Kwara state respectively. These states have various
educational institutions from universities to polytechnics and then colleges of
education that remained with them. Howbeit, the
newly created state can not be said to make boast of a single higher
institution of its own, except the Federal college
of Education at Okene and the Federal
Polytechnic Idah and the inherited school
of Nursing at Obangede.
It was imperative therefore, that the newly created state establishes its own institutions;
hence the birth of Kogi state polytechnic which was the first state owned institution
came into fruition.
The creation of Kogi state
brought about the mass exodus of experienced and competent academics that are
of Kogi extractions from Benue and Kwara
states. The take off of Kogi
State polytechnic therefore
was smooth without any hitch for the readily available manpower resources. It
was a conglomerate of brains that left institutions from the parent states to
kick start Kogi State polytechnic. They had requisite
experiences and qualifications and as such, Kogi State
polytechnic did not waste time in becoming one of the very best in the country.
However, the situation was soon to degenerate into a sorry state. Qualified and
competent lecturers soon started leaving in block and mass to other
institutions where they pay better, others left when tussle for supremacy and
power within the system became a norm which stampeded the progress of work, many
left due to the highhandedness, maladministration and perceived victimizations
under a particular rector or the other, while others who where disallowed from
developing themselves also left, leaving a few who were neither as experienced
and qualified as the ones that left, to lead and head various sensitive offices
in the school, this soon marked the beginning of the fall in standards of the institution.
Many
years have passed, the status quo is getting worse, and hope of restoring the
school to its past glory seems deem and oblique. The situation of the school has
degenerated into a state of indignity and infamy. One of the very mortifying issue
in the school at the moment is the qualifications of its academic staff who ought
to pass knowledge to our young ones. In a situation where you have staff with
masters and bachelors degrees with good grades relegated to being non academic
staff and you see higher national diploma or bachelors degree holders with Pass
or third class grades as lecturers is very horrendous and inexcusable. It is
the height of saboteur and subjugation of standard. In this scenario, what
would be the quality of students graduated from the school? No wonder, majority
of students who graduated from the school cannot write their names correctly,
or compose simple sentences without hoards of errors.
The
polytechnic has never advertised vacancies for the post of lectures, instructors
and technologist, except for key positions like Rector, Registrar, etc, hence
the pattern it adopts in employing its staff is a very faulty one that allows
just anybody with a degree of higher national diploma without requisite
experience and flare for teaching be found in the classrooms. Recruitment of
staff is done during accreditation of courses; principal staff brings names of
their relatives, friends and families to fill up spaces, since the National
Board of Technical Education (NBTE) would not accredit any programme that does
not have requisite staff strength. This is done without the notice of the
public that is made up of a database of extremely qualified persons, hence,
charlatans and academically bereft persons find their way into the noble
profession.
The
government should as a matter of urgency, carry out result verification
exercise for the staff of this school to curb this disgracing trend and make
available vacancies open to all.
The
absurdities in Kogi state polytechnic is one too many! It is an open secret
that lecturers engage is petty extortion from students whose parents scavenged to
put together all they have so they can be in school. The sales of sub standard
textbooks are the bane of the day. It is either you buy these sub standard and
unregulated textbooks or you carry over the course. When you carry over the
course, you must still buy the same textbook next semester, irrespective of the
fact that you have from previous semesters. The only difference now is that,
the textbook maybe carrying a different book cover, no revision, no addition
and no subtraction.
Woe
betide you to be a final year student, it is what Fela Anikulapo calls “double
wahala for dead body” You must pay for the 3rd semester examination. With these
lazy and criminal attitudes, these lecturers have been enriching themselves to
the detriment of these struggling students. That is not all, you will have to also
buy test scripts or you fail the test. As if this isn’t enough, some lecturers
are found of collecting money from students who do not want to fail or not
confident of their performances. The fee ranges from 5000 and above. Towards
this, the government needs to take decisive and proactive steps by stopping the
sales and production of text books at the institutions, which will give room
for research on the part of the students, who will learn to develop course
outlines, this will develop their abilities and performance. Also government
should make any lecturer caught extorting from students a scapegoat, so that
sanctity and dignity are restored back to the school.
Harassment,
intimidation and physical assault are very rampant and prevalent in the school.
Some few weeks ago, it was alleged that one of the lecturer and HOD of computer
science department slapped a student who became unconscious and was rushed to
the hospital. Kogi News Hub took time to investigate the incident and it was
discovered that his notoriety knows no limit as regards assaulting students. It
was said that was not his first or second time of slapping students. In fact this
notoriety of his earned him the name “Mr Slap” this is just one out of the many
incidents of harassment of students by lecturers. It was so widely circulated
all around the country that it received downright condemnation and brought
shame to the institution and the state as a whole. (
http://www.kemifilani.com/2016/11/lecturer-slaps-female-student-into.html)
The
slapping gene runs deep in some other department of the school. A one time
commissioner under the last administration from the Igala axis also slaps students
like no man business. Still in the same school of management studies, a
lecturer of the Okun extraction is known for slapping, kicking and tearing of
students’ scripts in examination hall. One wonders if these academics are not
street touts as they go about violating the dignity of persons. The
major problem is students not knowing their rights. Any lecturer could be sued
for assault and battery under section 252 of the criminal Code Act and
punishable by one year imprisonment under section 351 of the same law. Moreover
I doubt if any schools code of conduct agrees to this despicable act.
Aside from the above fact, there
is serious moral debauchery and profligacy in the students’ lecturer
relationship. Often times, it is discovered that because students, especially
female students want high grades, they are willing to go the way of the
lecturers majority of whom are morally bankrupt. You find students who didn’t
write examinations scoring the highest grade in his or her class when results
are eventually released, because a trade by batter session of raunchy sex has
taken place between the student and the lecturer, then the lecturer consequent brazen
manipulation of examination scores. If the lecturer whose course is affected
tries to protest, he is setup to take the fall.
In the faculty of fine and
applied art of Kogi state polytechnic, there is a particular office known for
it notoriety in harboring female students, mostly from other departments who
engage in acts such as sitting on lecturers laps, hugging, sitting on lecturers
table, kissing and some times alleged sex, right there inside the office, it
seem the authorities of the particular department are afraid of confronting
these sets of lecturers, whose ring leader is assumed to have connections
within the political circle and government house and so untouchable.
Another abnormality in Kogi state
polytechnic is the introduction of the 3rd semester. This semester
was introduced by the former rector Prof. Mathew Ajibero as a palliative
measure for graduating students. It was meant to enable final year students in
particular re-write courses they had failed, so that they can meet up with
service year, it wasn’t meant to be a continuous exercise but it is now. Kogi
News Hub took it up to investigate this illegality and it was revealed that,
students pay for this semester and the lecturers get a percentage from the pay.
The more students that fail your course, the more money you make from the 3rd
semester. We interviewed a lecturer who pleaded for anonymity, he said he was once
shocked to see his students who all passed his courses now having carry over
and upon inquiry, he was asked to forget it. This is the height of gross
corruption, the government should as a matter of urgency, scrap the said 3rd
semester. This will allow students to sit up.
Lastly,
the sale of entry form is another big scam that needs to be regulated. The
school has a given number of student its can accommodate and an approximate
number of application it is expecting from the public within a stipulated time.
When the sales of admission forms commences online and it gets to the
stipulated numbers of applications, the ICT center prints out the names of
those that applied and forwards them for consideration. However, instead of
stopping the sales of forms and closing the school portal, sales of forms
continues, while unsuspecting victims applies with additional fee attached for
late registration. When Kogi News Hubs probed, it discovered that the money
generated now does not go into the school account but private hands.
However,
Kogi State polytechnic still has many good
and qualified academics but the activities of the bad eggs are tarnishing their
images and overshadowing the deeds of the good ones.
The government needs to rise up to the challenge and salvage Kogi state
polytechnic from the brink. Many of their departments are sitting on ticking
time bombs because of the varying internal crisis rocking them which are
waiting to explode.
Bala Ahmed
Writes from Lokoja
Coming soon
KOGI POLY: Financial mismanagement of intervention funds, 2015-2016
