By Amaka Abayomi

The management of the Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, Lagos, has called on the federal government to come to its aid by making funds available to enable them construct hostel and classroom accommodation for its increasing student population.

Speaking to journalists on the issues the 67 year-old college is facing, the Principal, Rev Chris Ugorji, said as a result of the inadequate hostels, some classrooms had to be converted to hostels to accommodate some students who couldn’t afford to be coming from home.

He said “FSTC, Yaba, is the biggest of all the 104 unity colleges and as such should be given its prime place by making sure that funds are readily available to tackle this hostel and classroom crisis we are battling with.

“Most of our students come from home and this affects their academics as they lose their belongings to touts or are usually stuck in traffic on their way to and from school. This makes them miss morning classes and they get home very late and tired to the point that they would not be able to do their homework.”

The Principal urged the PTA to speedily finish work on the 1000 bed-space female hostel and hand over same so that some female students can move in.

In the same vein, the Vice Principal, Students’ Affairs, Mrs. Ann Ajisafe, said accommodation into the boarding house is not automatic and parents have been advised not to pay for boarding until their ward have been given hostel accommodation.

She said this was necessary as interviews have to be conducted to determine how the remaining 100 bed spaces would be given to the students.

The Principal said over 400 units of desks and chairs have been repaired for use of the students just as over 100 new seats have been delivered by NIPOST.