Posted on: 07:25 Thu, 10 Dec 2015



The Joint Admission and
Matriculation Board (JAMB) has
delisted four tertiary institutions
owned by Osun State Government
have been from its website.

They were said to be delisted for
next two academic sessions on the
request of the state government over
plans to restructure them.

The institutions ?as made known by
the Alumni Associations of the four
state-owned tertiary institutions are
Osun state Polytechnic Iree, Osun
State College of Technology, Esa-Oke,
Osun State College of Education, Ila
Orangun, and Osun state College of
Education, Ilesa.

This is as no fewer than 50,000
students who have been offered
admission to study various courses
in the four institutions might forfeit
their admissions.

The President of OSPOLY Alumni,
Iree who is spokesperson of the
alumni bodies, Mrs. Mobola Odebode
said state government had written to
JAMB to delist the affected
institutions for the next two years in
order to give way for its proposed
restructuring of the institutions.

Odebobe who was flanked by other
alumni Presidents said the state
government has refused to listen to
the voice of reasoning on the
rumoured merger of the four tertiary
institutions stressing that Governor
Rauf Aregbesola is trying to
obliterate polytechnic education in
the state.

She said that most of the affected
admission seekers to these
institutions had been offered
provision admission for 2015/2016
academic sessions but were surprised
to find out that their potential
schools are no longer on the JAMB
portals.

Her words: “It is painful that despite
pleas from traditional rulers, host
communities, political parties,
students, market women, Alumni
Associations and well meaning
Nigerians, the government has
refused to listen to he voice of
reasoning on the matter. As products
of institutions, we had resolved to
continue the struggle to protect the
existence of these institutions.

”Part of the frustrations we
envisaged is already manifesting. It
is before the public knowledge that
the state government, last week
sacked over 250 workers in Osun
state Colleges of Education, Ila
Orangun and Ilesa. These institutions
already lack academic and non
academic staff for the past five
years.

”Also, over 50,000 students who
applied to the four state owned
tertiary institutions through Joint
Admission and Matriculation Board
(JAMB) will be denied admission as
the government has written to the
admission body to delist these four
institutions for the next two years.

This means that none of the affect
state-owned institutions is on the list
of JAMB.”

Odebode also disclosed that Osun
state government had ordered the
four institutions to advertise
admission for vocational and
remedial studies thus querying the
government on why polytechnic
should lay the role that a technical
college could play more effectively.

She said “It is rather ironical that at
a period that China is converting
universities to polytechnics to
advance the technological education
as a key for the growth AF
development of the country, the state
of Osun government is trying to
obliterate polytechnic education.

“We are so confident that the
government wants to destroy the
whole system for their private
business benefits. We are fully
aware of correspondences between
some private institutionsÂ
approaching the affected institutions
to divert their admitted students to
their various schools,” Odebode
added.

The alumni body however
condemned the alleged dismissal of
the over 250 workers and demanded
for their reinstatement.

The associations also demanded that
the state government withdraw the
letter written to JAMB to allow
admission to the affected institutions
ad allow candidates who have been
offered provisional admission to
continue their programmes.