Folashade Adebayo
Parents of undergraduates of the Wesley University of Science and Technology, Ondo, have criticised the management of the school over incessant strike actions. The parents have also called on the Methodist Church Nigeria, proprietor of the school, to find a lasting solution to the episodes of strike actions called by lecturers of the institution.
The school had last week resumed after a two-month strike called by lecturers of the university over irregular salaries.
But some of the parents, who spoke with our correspondent on Monday, said they were not elated by the development. According to them, the university, which commenced academic activities in 2008, had so far lost 15 months to strike actions.
One of the parents, who did not want to be identified, said, “My son had been home for one month, but prior to that he and others had not been receiving lectures for one month. There is no organisation without its challenges, but what worries me is that principal officers of the school are not bothered. They are not ready to change and all they care about is money. My plan is to withdraw my son from the school, but unfortunately, I had introduced a couple of friends who also brought their children to the school.
“This is the first time I will see a private university going on strike. There is no forum where parents can officially speak with the management of the school,” she said.
Another parent, who also craved anonymity, urged the management of the university to pay attention to the school environment.
“The population of the school is quite small and that should have been an advantage. I think the management is not organised and the quality of non-academic staff is nothing to write home about. They have good lecturers but they cannot pay them.
“My son says he is no longer interested. He is in 100 level and he is fed up already. We heard that the school was on strike for months before his admission but we were told that the issues had been resolved. He should have been in 200 level now but for the recent strike. The management has shown that it is not trustworthy and I don’t want to toy with the destiny of my son. I attended a public school and there was a time we spent three years at home due to strike. That should not happen to any of my children,’’ said the parent.
However, speaking to our correspondent in a telephone interview on Monday, the Registrar of the institution, Mrs. Chioma Obasi, said that strike actions would soon be a thing of the past in the school.
She said, “We had some challenges recently which upset the operation of our academic calendar. The issues have been amicably resolved and we are back. Some students remained on campus and were gainfully engaged with entrepreneurial studies. Those who chose to travel have been called back since last week and full academic activities have commenced. The Board of Trustees and Governing Council have put in place a more enduring funding strategy to ensure the development and sustenance of the institution.’’
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