42  Ondo Varsity Students Bag First Class Degrees

Fidelis David in Akure

The Vice Chancellor of the Ondo State-owned Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Prof. Olugbenga Ige yesterday disclosed that a total of 42 students of the institution would be graduating with First Class honours as the institution holds its 12th convocation ceremony.

Prof Ige stated this at a press briefing heralding the convocation ceremony held at the institution’s Business School in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Specifically, he said: “A total of 5,249 graduands from the 2020/2021 set will be honoured this year. The Faculty of Education leads with 1,202 graduands, followed by Science, Arts, Social Sciences, Administration and Management Sciences, Agriculture, Law, the Institute of Part-Time, and the Institute of Education. 180 graduands will receive postgraduate degrees, with 24 in the PhD category.

“Of the graduating class, 42 achievewd First Class; 1,088 in Second Class Upper Division; 2,264 in Second Class Lower Division; and 605 in Third Class. As expected, numerous academic prizes endowed by distinguished individuals and corporate organisations, will be awarded to outstanding graduands who have excelled in their respective fields.

 Ige, while giving details of the event, explained that the institution has scheduled a series of week-long activities for this year’s convocation ceremony.

According to him, “We commenced on December 1, 2023, with Jumat prayers, followed by a keep-fit exercise for staff and students on December 2. Today’s (yesterday) press briefing marks the third event among others in our lineup for the week. The exhibition (Research, Development, and Innovation Fair) will be held today (December 5). Later, on the same day, the convocation play, Malokun, will be performed by the Ajasin Varsity Theatre, comprising both staff and students of the university, while on Wednesday has been dedicated to a friendly match and various games.

“This year’s convocation lecture is scheduled for December 7, and will be delivered by Mr. Martins Oloja, the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of The Guardian Newspapers, Lagos. He will speak on the topic, ‘Internationalisation of University Education for Global Relevance: Experiences, Barriers, and Prospects’.

The conferment of first degrees, postgraduate diplomas, and higher degrees, along with the presentation of prizes is slated for December 8 and 9, 2023. The Visitor of the University, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), is expected to grace the procession on December 9. The grand finale, an Interdenominational Christian Service, will take place on December 10.”

The VC, however, boasted that despite the substantial challenges and acute instability plaguing higher education in Nigeria today, the institution has persevered, as well as tackle emergent issues, provide leadership, nurture intellects and the environment, create programmes, foster scholarly pursuits, and advance professionalism.

He added: “In our commitment to internationalisation and benchmarking operations with global best practices, the university continues to foster partnerships and networks with sister universities both locally and abroad. We have extended our collaborations with reputable foreign organisations and universities, including the China-Africa Partnership Institute Exchange Programme, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Peoples Republic of China focusing on Research Collaboration in Green Technology, and Ghent University, Belgium. Discussions on collaboration are ongoing with the University of Toledo, Ohio, USA; University of Aberdeen, University of Birmingham, and Arden University in the United Kingdom, among others.”

Moreover, he noted that the school has made significant strides in reinforcing and sustaining advanced technological solutions in the university’s operations, stressing that its adoption of e-student registration, e-payment systems, e-transcript administration, e-clearance procedures, and e-voting for students’ union elections underscores its commitment to an ICT-driven administration.