Bowen Varsity will not exceed 5,000 students

Universities may like to play the numbers game, but not Bowen University, Iwo, whose Vice-Chancellor, Prof Timothy Oyebode Olagbemiro, has said would not admit more than 5,000 students at the same time.

The university, which has just got the nod of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Medical and Dental Council to run a medical programme, is not likely to run part-time programmes, at least not under Olagbemiro.

In an interview, Olagbemiro argued that keeping number of students in check will ensure quality.

He said: “There should be a way to checkmate the increasing rate of students’ population which do not match the facilities on ground. For us, we have decided not to exceed 5,000 to keep Christian values and Godly6 excellence. Students should learn under comfortable and habitable learning environment. When we say the students are leaders of tomorrow, we should provide education for them in an atmosphere devoid of distractions and evils. My university in the US never exceeded 3,000 in terms of population and the university has been in existence for several decades.”

Olagbemiro also said running part-time degree and diploma programmes can make a university lose focus.

“Another area that can enhance quality of education is the abolition of part time programmes which are not necessary. The core business of the university is undergraduates and looking at the university, the system cannot run full time and part time degrees together. Hence, it is more important for the university to face its core business which is the undergraduates. It is important for quality administrators to focus on quality education and not quantity. A university should have reached an advanced stage before focusing on awarding diplomas.

“I am the Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of Private Universities and I have made my points known to my colleagues which are the truth. They all agreed that part time degrees are not necessary because universities who cannot run full time programmes are running part time programmes. We should face what we have to do and that is undergraduate education”, he said.

Speaking on the newly accredited medical programme, Olagbemiro said the approval came in record time and assured future students that the quality will be maintained.