Parents have been identified as major stakeholders who can contribute to the sustenance of peace, sanity and an atmosphere conducive to learning in Universities.

The first parents summit was convened recently by University of Lagos Parents’ Forum inside Afe Babalola Auditorium, on the main campus, Akoka attended by about 500 parents from all walks of life. The theme of the summit was: “Providing the Adequate Support For Students Success.”

In the keynote address delivered by Mrs. Maureen Bakare, Chairman of University of Lagos Parents’ Forum, she recalled that at the establishment of the first tertiary institutions in Nigeria in the early 1940s, parents forum was an aberration because all were adults old enough to live their lives as they wished, and so Parents/Teachers Associations were limited to primary and secondary schools in the past.

“The general degradation in the society brought with it malpractices unheard of in the past which also introduced alarming problems into the various tertiary institutions at a point in time. This made well-meaning Nigerians to call for a solution in order to check the tragedies that the situation introduced into our ivory towers.”

She pointed out that the University of Lagos had its own share of such problems which culminated in the creation of a parents’ forum on 22nd November 1999 “when the intervention of parents was seen as being essential to nipping the ugly situation in the bud and promoting a trouble-free university atmosphere.”

Burning issues facing the University at that time under the administration of the then vice chancellor Professor Jelili Omotola who initiated the parents’ forum for dialogue – included cultism, rape, burglary, armed robbery, insurgency, sexual harassment, harlotry, indiscipline and various anti-social behaviour.

According to Bakare, soon after the inauguration of the forum, there was a crisis between the students and the University in which the vice-chancellor had to run for safety to Ijebu-Ode, his home town.

“The parents’ forum stepped in, released students drafted into detention at Eleweran, Ogun State, appeased the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona who was bitter at the fact that the students desecrated his kingdom by entering the town and jumping over the fence into the vice-chancellor’s abode to arrest him.”

Few months later, another crisis engulfed the University during the tenure of Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe as vice chancellor.

“The students went on a rampage this time burning down the house of the then Dean of Students Affairs and asking for the head of their vice chancellor who managed to escape to safety. By the end of the imbroglio, a 400 level law student lost his life.”

The parents forum executives travelled twice to Ibadan to pacify and express condolence to the parents of the dead students.

Due to intervention of the parents forum, normalcy returned and the institution was reopened.

“It was clear at this point to the students that the presence of a parents’ forum had established the fact that there could not be two governments in an institution of higher learning and that they had to subject themselves to discipline by the authority.

The University has enjoyed a measure of calm and progress since then.”
Parents were tasked to set up plans for monitoring their adult children in the university, equip themselves (parents) with skills for understanding the nature of the adult children to enable parents support their physical, social, spiritual and material needs appropriately.

Bakare added:
“We must discipline them in love and get close to them so that the channel of communication between us and them does not break. We must be close to them to advise and counsel them to enable them avoid costly mistakes. The problems of eating right, inability to buy text books and pay for projects and other related issues are enough to lead to depression and frustration.

Some of the problems still staring the nation in the face as parents strive to find solutions to them include.
* Cultism, while it seems subsided still exists in several higher institutions but university of Lagos has become a “no go” area for cult groups.

* Sexual harassment by male students to female students, male lecturers to female students and in some cases female students to their lecturers.

* Anti-social behaviour by students like students openly showing contempt for their lecturers, poor dressing, harlotry and Aristorism – female students subject themselves to sexual abuse by rich men

* Examination malpractices ending up with outright rejection of students’ papers which could affect innocent students adversey.

Bakare also blamed the University for highly expensive and prohibitive cost of accessing the internet; inadequate facility for preparing projects; mosquito infested studios and project rooms; insufficient lecture rooms; production of graduates who cannot find employment because they lacked required skills.

She told the summit that results of students are not released to their sponsors as and when due.

That certificates are not readily available after graduation; retrieving transcript’s for processing of admission to universities for postgraduate studies has been a Herculean task; use of handouts rather than reference books is still going on although not on a large scale; tutorials where students can have close discussion with their mates and lecturers in smaller groups are hardly done; post-UTME is still fraught with a lot of problems which need to addressed.

“Non-chalance or lukewarmness of government  in resolving some issues facing the university has compounded some of the problems. The welfare of the staff remains unresolved as ASUU and other groups of staff continue to threaten the stability of the University system through strike actions.”

On the part of parents, she decried the neglect of close monitoring of students and follow-up in their respective departments to check the performance of their children, saying, “only a few parents believe that they have any role to play towards seeing their children through.”

Professor Olaide Abass, Chairman of the parents’ Forum Summit, commended the forum for successfully intervening to resolve the crisis in the university some years ago, expressing  gratitude for what the parents have done.

“About 30 years ago, there was no need for this forum. But today, parents are declaring wrong age for their children who are not up to 16 years old to come into the university.

If your child is not 16 years of age, don’t bring them through false declaration. That is the problem. They are not matured to cope with challenges of academic work.”
He explained that such under-aged children won’t do well and may just manage to pass.

“In the 40 years of my experience in University of Lagos, students must be matured, and properly funded as government subvention is becoming less and less,” said Abass.

Representing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adetokunboh Sofoluwe who had travelled to China on official visit, Professor Bello expressed sincere gratitude and thanks for the summit which essentially will boost the psyche of the stakeholders.

“University of Lagos believes in the forum and holds it in high esteem.”

He said that the keynote address by the chairman of the forum should be kept for further discussion and wants it adopted.

“We cannot overemphasise the role of parents but not the same as in secondary schools because university students are adults – so their behaviours are supposed to be matured.”

He noted that the University of Lagos is the University of first choice and parents are lucky to have their children studying here.

Regarded as the nation’s pride, more than 60% of admission seekers in the country choose the University of Lagos while its quota is mere 4,000.

“Hence, it is essential we maintain peace and tranquillity in order to do our business. So we know parents have key roles to play as the university is part and parcel of society.”

Bello thanked God that things are moving back to normalcy.

“Cultism has been suppressed. Only cultists coming from the other schools, but most of them apprehended. AS to results and transcripts, I want to inform and assure you that results won’t be delayed in any form. All students had their results two weeks after the examination in the last semester. Also, the next results will be displayed.

Computers now process results and GPA now online.”

According to him, “parents can now check results by themselves online,” adding, “the University competes with itself, not with other universities and we hope to be among the first 100 in the world.”

He disclosed that the university has no funding problem, but the federal government subvention is dwindling, while the internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is the largest in the country.

Bello affirmed that parents won’t be allowed to collect levies from students, saying, “Federal Government is against this, even unions have consent for collection of check-off dues.”

He appealed to parents for support so that the management will do whatever that can be done.

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan who also is commissioner for Education, supposed to be the Special Guest of Honour was represented, extolled the University of Lagos as a frontline institution whose graduates are holding top positions in our society.

She commended the parents’ forum and wished that its goals and objectives will be met, and prayed that students being produced will attain great heights. With peace in the campus, the confidence will make parents bring in their children as students.

Pastor Nelson Ayodele, facilitator of the summit a motivational speaker of repute, said lack of good parenting is responsible for the tragedies of society.

He explained the different types of parenting-the sergeant major type; the Pareutus Jelly Fishcus; Pareutus Absentus, and Pareutus Backbonicus.