By Dayo Adesulu & Kelechukwu Iruoma

STUDENTS of the Lagos State University External System, LASUES, on Monday protested delayed in release of results and certificates  by the management of the system, demanding their immediate release in order to avoid losing their jobs in their various work places. The students from different campuses who stormed Vanguard Media LTD office, at Kirikiri, Lagos, with placards to report their plight and challenges having with the management of LASUES, noted that they pay the highest school fees which is N98,000 while the full time pay N25,000 and yet they are not getting everything they need.

File: Student of the Lagos State Univesity protesting hike in school fees

According to the spokesman for the external students, Mr. Abiodun Esinlokun, a student of Ikoyi External System, since the Lagos State University management instituted the external system programme, the management has not been doing well in meeting the needs of the external system students , rather, what the management is after is money.

Schoolmanagement

“We have 2004 till date set of students who are supposed to have graduated but are yet to see their results due to lack of commitment and sincerity by the school management. I am a final year student and I can say authoritatively that I don’t know my grade point (GP); I am yet to see my result from first year to this current year.” Said Mr. Esinlokun.

Mr. Esinlokun revealed that they have written series of letters to the Director of the programme, Prof. Olatunji Abanikanda, but have not got a  positive response yet. In his words “The Director has refused to listen to us and threatened not to release the yet to be released results if we keep disturbing him”, adding “what he tells us is to pay our fees. We have done that and he still has not released our results”.

“what happens to our results?,” “LASUES, no results”, “LASUES, 8 years  for 5 years course” “No admission letter after four years” “LASUES, one year per semester”. These are some of the contents of the placards being carried by the external students, crying and singing loudly: “when we remember LASUES, water run from our eyes.”

Other challenges being faced by the external system students as revealed thus: “delay in academic sessions (nine months per semester); unreleased result from 100 level till date, no admission letter, constraints on students academic profiles, missing scripts, among others.”

Missingscripts

It would be recalled that the National Universities Commission, NUC, has instructed all universities offering external programmes to scrap them before 2016, that is why, according to them, they are agitating vehemently for their results to be released so that they can graduate before the stipulated time.

When Vanguard Learning contacted the Director of the External System Programme, Prof. Abanikanda, he stated that since he came on board in 2012, his administration has graduated 38, 430 external students, adding “those who said they have not seen their results and not received their certificates since 2004 are not genuine students of the external system. They have no admission letter because their admissions are not genuine. They are students who came in through the back doors.” He added.

He revealed that the last admission given was in 2011, adding that, is assignment as the Director is to ensure that genuine students of the system must graduate. According to him “Right now (when Vanguard Learning contacted him), school is in session and we are compiling results.” Stating also, “anybody who is our student; a genuine student of the external system will be graduated,” he said.