UNILAG Woos 125 First Class Students With Job

 

 Management of the University of La­gos (UNILAG), Akoka, yester­day approved the immedi­ate employment of 125 First Class graduating students for the 2013/2014 session. The university said two best students with CGPA of not less than 4.0 in each of the programmes would also be employed as Graduate As­sistants.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rahamon Bello, disclosed this during the second day of the convocation ceremonies of the university. The event had in at­tendance the Pro-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Jerry Gana, distinguished guests, graduat­ing students, parents, among others.

Bello said the Governing Council of the university had approved the employment of the best students from each programme of the university to foster PhD training and con­solidate the regime of academic excellence in the university.

The vice chancellor said the university had retained its pride as a worthy citadel of learning and centre of academic excel­lence. He maintained that mem­bers of staff, both teaching and non-teaching had continued to sweep laurels and recognitions.

According to him, lecturers of the university had attracted research fund of N134 million, with 14 research grants worth N56 million coming from the Lagos State Government.

Despite the success recorded by the university, Bello lament­ed the lack of bed spaces on campus, with 35,000 students sharing 8,000 bed spaces. He said the parents’ forum of the university had embarked on a-1,000 bed space project, but noted that it was a far cry from the accommodation need of the institution, which had become the most preferred university by students seeking admission.

He pleaded for endowment from corporate bodies and phi­lanthropists to reduce the suf­ferings of students.

Also speaking, the Pro Chancellor, Prof. Gana, pro­posed a new funding model that would reposition the nation’s ivory towers. He said a situa­tion where UNILAG expended 90 percent of the allocation from the Federal Government on salaries, with little left for overheads does not promote a healthy university system. He argued that a revised funding model had become imperative to address the challenges facing the university.