The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has delisted four tertiary institutions owned by Osun State Government have been from its website.
They were said to be delisted for next two academic sessions on the request of the state government over plans to restructure them.
The institutions as made known by the Alumni Associations of the four state-owned tertiary institutions are Osun state Polytechnic Iree, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun State College of Education, Ila Orangun, and Osun state College of Education, Ilesa.
This is as no fewer than 50,000 students who have been offered admission to study various courses in the four institutions might forfeit their admissions.
The President of OSPOLY Alumni, Iree who is spokesperson of the alumni bodies, Mrs. Mobola Odebode said state government had written to JAMB to delist the affected institutions for the next two years in order to give way for its proposed restructuring of the institutions.
Odebobe who was flanked by other alumni Presidents said the state government has refused to listen to the voice of reasoning on the rumoured merger of the four tertiary institutions stressing that Governor Rauf Aregbesola is trying to obliterate polytechnic education in the state.
She said that most of the affected admission seekers to these institutions had been offered provision admission for 2015/2016 academic sessions but were surprised to find out that their potential schools are no longer on the JAMB portals.
Her words: “It is painful that despite pleas from traditional rulers, host communities, political parties, students, market women, Alumni Associations and well meaning Nigerians, the government has refused to listen to he voice of reasoning on the matter. As products of institutions, we had resolved to continue the struggle to protect the existence of these institutions.
”Part of the frustrations we envisaged is already manifesting. It is before the public knowledge that the state government, last week sacked over 250 workers in Osun state Colleges of Education, Ila Orangun and Ilesa. These institutions already lack academic and non academic staff for the past five years.
”Also, over 50,000 students who applied to the four state owned tertiary institutions through Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will be denied admission as the government has written to the admission body to delist these four institutions for the next two years. This means that none of the affect state-owned institutions is on the list of JAMB.”
Odebode also disclosed that Osun state government had ordered the four institutions to advertise admission for vocational and remedial studies thus querying the government on why polytechnic should lay the role that a technical college could play more effectively.
She said “It is rather ironical that at a period that China is converting universities to polytechnics to advance the technological education as a key for the growth AF development of the country, the state of Osun government is trying to obliterate polytechnic education.
“We are so confident that the government wants to destroy the whole system for their private business benefits. We are fully aware of correspondences between some private institutions approaching the affected institutions to divert their admitted students to their various schools,” Odebode added.
The alumni body however condemned the alleged dismissal of the over 250 workers and demanded for their reinstatement.
The associations also demanded that the state government withdraw the letter written to JAMB to allow admission to the affected institutions ad allow candidates who have been offered provisional admission to continue their programmes.
