ANSU Waives School Fees for Students of Unaccredited Dept:
The Anambra State University (ANSU) Uli has waived school fees for students of Technology Education who have to change to other departments because the programme has not been accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The Nation had written about the students’ plight in the publication of March 27, in which they sought to be transferred to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, where such programme is accredited, to complete their degree.
They had rejected the ANSU directive that they should transfer to engineering and other science programmes on the ground that they would have to spend up to two or three years extra and pay tuition fees for the period.
However, on the appeal of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Fidelis Okafor, the University Senate waived the tuition fee for the rest of their new programmes, as well as the change of course fee of N15,000.
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Okafor announced the waiver at a meeting held with the students on April 14.
The Acting Registrar, Mr O.R.A. Okechukwu, said in a statement that all deans and departmental heads have been asked to regularise the students’ transfer. He explained that the level at which they would be absorbed into the new programme would be dependent on their Cumulative Grade Point Average from the Technology Education department.
The statement reads: “The Vice Chancellor has graciously approved that the former 200-Level (2010/2011 set) and 300-Level (2011/2012 set) students of the Department of Technology Education who transferred to other departments shall have one year school fees waived for them, while the former 400 level students (the 2009/2010 pioneer set) shall have school fees for two years waived for them.
‘’Recall that the Vice Chancellor had earlier exempted all the students in Technology Education from paying N15,000.00 being the official university charge for change of Degree programme.
‘’Heads of Department and Faculty officers shall by this memo receive the concerned students and permit them to attend lectures in the new departments while they process and conclude the procedural transfers. This directive is borne out of the due exigencies of the moment.
‘’The Acting Head , Department of Technology Education is enjoined to expeditiously produce a signed copy of the students’ 100-Level or up to 200-Level (as the case may be) academic records (transcript) to enable the new Heads of Department conclude the academic documentation of the transfer students.”
Okechukwu also told The Nation that the university is working towards meeting the criteria spelt out by the NUC to gain recognition for the programme.
‘We have been told what to do – to refurbish the laboratory, workshops and employ specialists and we are about doing that. But because the first set have reached final year, we cannot frustrate them but we will allow them to graduate in other closer courses and while they go, we will put our house in order,” he said.
On the issue of transfer to other universities, Okechukwu said they would still have had to spend up to two sessions in such institutions.
One of the affected students, Akogwu Genevieve, lamented that she is supposed to be doing her clearance for Youth service but found herself in a quagmire, while another, Kingsley Onu, said he was not comfortable with spending two years extra in school. (The Nation)
