LAUTECH Multi Campus Review by Luqman Soliu.
It is no longer a news that joint ownership imbroglio of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomosho between Osun and Oyo State governments has been laid to rest courtesy of National University Commission (NUC) intervention.
However, the trending news is the discussion on the multi-campus status of the University as recently passed by the Oyo State House of Assembly. There are pro and anti-multi-campus proponents. Regardless of the right of expression of all, it is necessary to discuss the issue from patriotic perspective.
First, LAUTECH Multi Campus has the opportunity of having campuses in different towns in Oyo State. Of what benefit that would be is an issue of concern-Yes correct but can we read further?
Assuming all students are on a campus when an epidemic occurs, would that community have negative or positive experience to share?
May God forbid bad thing but sure there could not be positive news from such scenario. Therefore, having students of the University in different towns (multi campus) would save the lives of LAUTECH students from epidemic which we pray will never occur.
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Moreover, the fact is that when students are too concentrated in an area, there would be too much pressure on the social amenities such as power supply leading to incessant breakdown of transformers, etc and destruction of public tap water gadgets among others. However, where the students are in manageable population, such facilities are fairly managed.
Also, there is no way a town would have higher institutions of learning without commensurate social infrastructure development. That indirectly facilitates rapid development especially as good roads, hospitals, media offices, banks, etc extend their presence to those places.
With that, additional employment is provided to those that would work in those offices in addition to discouraging rural-urban drift which thus bring about even development. Also, more houses would be built especially as hostels for students leading to rapid development of such town and yield of returns of estate managers.
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Having LAUTECH Multi Campus is also an opportunity of cross-fertilization of culture and orientations with local community by students who would come from different places around the world. That indirectly creates opportunity for peaceful co-existence by creating opportunity to learn about different values which are usually different and higher in value than what most youngsters are aware of.
It is also an established fact that where students over-populate an area, essentials are usually expensive for most students to afford. But when students are dispersed into different campuses in different towns, there would be less pressure on the students and so their standard of living will not be unbearable as would have been where they are too much than available resources.
When a university has many campuses, it is an opportunity for the lecturers and students to travel to different areas and be exposed to different lifestyle, training and knowledge. Thus broadening their horizons as travel is a critical part of learning.
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Besides, establishment of campuses in towns would automatically boost the local economy of those places where the campuses are situated. Similarly, the main campus would be saved from having to be contending with regular collapse of facilities which is peculiar with universities with too much population than available resources.
Unbridled students who often disrupt social peace can be controlled when they are separated from their colleagues with whom they usually foment troubles. With lack of concentration of such troublemakers in a campus, the society would enjoy relative peace than having them concentrated in a place.
Besides, having multi-campus LAUTECH would also make all parts of Oyo State have sense of belonging since the revenue is for development of all parts of the State in addition to ensuring all zones in the state have fair presence of tertiary institutions of learning. With the aforementioned points, patriots are those who actually support the LAUTECH MULTI CAMPUS.
Luqman Soliu
Abeokuta
2 Comments
The multi campus proposal is going to fail. All the point raised here are immaterial
It is purely a means of bringing the institution down.
Check the history of st andrews college of education, the polytechnic ibadan, saki, eruwa, igboora.
Other campuses are mere glorified secondary school. We don’t want to politics with our own university.
Starting from the last sentence of the above comment….”WE DON’T WANT POLITICS WITH OUR OWN UNIVERSITY” Is LAUTECH YOUR FAMILY OR COMMUNITY UNIVERSITY? WAS POLITICS NOT THE BASIS OF ESTABLISHING IT? IS THE FUNDING NOT DERIVED FROM POLITICAL RELEVANCE? If anyone does not want to politicize University, he needs to establish his family university so that there would not be politics with it. Regarding The Polytechnic Ibadan and Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, it is only someone who does not know anything about those schools that he would count them as glorified secondary School. Structures in Ibadan Polytechnic Shaki alone is more than what Ogun State Institute of Technology, Sapade or Igbesa boasts of. Besides, when Osogbo has been the host of medicine faculty of LAUTECH are the anti- multi campus people not yet born? When the University has been facing the challenge of funding for years, how much have those against the multi-campus University contributed? It is better to keep silent than say what is irrational. Go to Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye with Engineering Faculty in Ibogun, Medicine and allied courses in Sagamu, Agricultural Faculty in Ayetoro and other faculties in Ago-Iwoye, are they not enjoying same progress like main campus? LAUTECH is a state university built with state resources. Therefore, let those who hate its multi-campus nature leave the University and establish their family or Community own. It is only then that the word OWN OUR UNIVERSITY CAN HAVE MEANING