BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
THE Vice Chancellor of the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, has debunked reports that the institution lost some students, following a stampede that occurred during its Computer Based Tests.
The university don said the incident happened sequel to hitches in the institution’s plans, noting that the tests were initially programmed to take place in batches, hourly.
He said there were 520 computers installed in the institution and that students would be invited to conclude their examinations when the center was fully ready.
Ogbu said that the Ishieke Campus of the institution would be closed down and a faculty of education relocated to the permanent site of the university in Ezzangbo before the end of the academic year.
He spoke at the university’s permanent site, Ezzangbo, while briefing journalists on the protest staged by the students following events that played out during their GST test last week.
He said the university was working to remain the best in academics in the country as it had adopted some measures to reposition in line with global best practices.
Ogbu denied the allegations that some students lost their lives during the Wednesday stampede and exonerated the management of the institution from the ugly incident, maintaining that it was a hitch recorded in the computers that were already certified okay for the test by the ICT unit.
“There was no death casualty. Five persons sustained injuries as a result of the stampede that occurred while students were trying to enter the hall during the conduct of the Computer Based Test.
“It is not unusual to have a hitch in any technical issue of that magnitude. Every effort was being made to make the examination a huge success. We planned to make sure that the computers all work well,” he stated.
On the welfare of the lecturers, Ogbu said that the management was owing only three months arrears of salary to staff of the institution but that measures were in top gear to remedy the situation.
“From July 2020, we have been paying 80 per cent of salary of staff; rather than owing, let’s be paying 80 per cent of salary, when things improve, we pay the remaining 20 per cent,” he said.
Corroborating the VC, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. J C Uneke, said that the University had recorded great success in academic standards and excellence.
“There has never been a time that academic standard has been at the topmost except in the current administration. Our College of Health Sciences is the best in West Africa,” he noted.
“We will go beyond 100 students, we will be given more to admit in Medicine, Surgery, Bio-chemistry and Physiology, among others,” he added.
