Say students’ welfare should be priority
By Adesina Wahab
ALUMNI of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, UNILAG, have charged the Visitation Panel set up by the Federal Government to probe the affairs of the university from 2017 till date to conduct its affairs with equity and justice and ensure that its recommendations are presented within the stipulated time.
It also advised the government to heed the recommendations and use that to bring an end to the crisis and set up such panels for other universities.
This is just as it urged all parties concerned to be mindful and protect the premium brand of a Centre of Excellence and the University of First Choice that the institution is known for.
The alumni, under the aegis of the University of Lagos Mass Communication Alumni Association, UMCAA, stated this in a communique issued by its Media Forum and which was signed by the President, Mr. Vincent Oyo and Chairman, UMCAA Media Forum, Prof. Oluyinka Esan, in Lagos.
The body also appealed to all warring groups to note that the main reason for the establishment of any university are the students to be trained and therefore their welfare and interest must be paramount.
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It noted that the warring factions seemed to have lost sight of the most important group affected by the misadventure, namely the students, both current and past.
While commending the intervention of the FG that has led to return to normalcy on campus, it added in line with the motto of the university – In deed and in truth, it would not hesitate to state some salient points on the matter.
“ Students are the raison d’etre of every university, their best interest should be paramount. Universities exist for the purpose of learning, research and community service – their activities on all scores should be impactful, bringing tangible benefits to society.
“Contentions and contestations are to be expected in the course of duties within an academic community, but these need not degenerate to depths of despair as recently witnessed,” the group said.
It lauded the suspension of principal actors in the crisis to give room for peace to reign.
It urged all stakeholders to support the newly-appointed Acting Vice Chancellor and the Interim Chairman of the Governing Council to restore confidence and enhance peace and stability on campus.
It recommended that the students of the university should have platforms and structures, including student unionism in place to provide avenues to liaise with the management and discuss their welfare. “That student unionism be viewed as part of the well-rounded education, an incubator for responsible politicking, to enrich the democratic culture to which the university rightly aspires as evident in this crisis. Students should not be denied this opportunity,” the group stated.
For staff unions, it admonished them to be wary of being used for political reasons ahead of the welfare and image of the university.
The post UNILAG MassComm Alumni task Visitation Panel on equity, justice appeared first on Vanguard News.
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