Admission seekers shun LAUTECH agric faculty – only 20% of quota recorded
Khalid ABRAHAM
The relocation of the faculty of agricultural sciences and renewable natural resources Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), from its home in Ogbomoso to the newly founded Iseyin campus has continued to falter as investigations have revealed that the number of admission seekers to the faculty in the ongoing admission exercise drastically dropped.
According to findings by ogbomosoinsightonline.com, a breakdown of applicants to its two faculties – agricultural sciences and renewable natural resources – show that out of 2,150 quota available, only 437 admission seekers chose the nine departments existing. That is about 20% of the total quota.
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Here is a further analysis of the numbers of applicants to each of the departments: Agricultural Economics – 68 out of a quota of 250; Agricultural Extension and Rural Development – 30 out 250; Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology – 104 out of 250; Animal Production and Health, 179 of 250; and Crop and Environmental Protection – 2 out of 250.
Others are Crop Production and Soil Science – 22 of 250; Fisheries and Aquaculture – 25 out of 200; Forest Resource Management – 1 of 250; and Wildlife and Ecotourism Management, 6 out of a quota of 200.
Meanwhile, information indicates there are presently 1,533 students in the 200 level of the faculty, who were moved to the new campus at Iseyin as pioneer students. Based on the same admission quota for the faculty, that is 71 % performance.
In the face of this abysmal low number of applicants the figure would be shored up by awarding admissions to students who did not choose courses in the faculty as first choice, it’s understood.
Further findings show that many intending applicants aborted their dreams of coming to the faculty at the last minute after the relocation plan was effected in October.
“What happened was that many students who previously chose courses in agricultural sciences at LAUTECH applied for change of institution after learning they would be taken off to Iseyin in the course of their studies,” a cybercafe operator, Ogundele Akintunde, told ogbomosoinsightonline.com.
Confirming this development, an applicant, Sayo Opadele, said, “I chose a course in the LAUTECH faculty of agricultural sciences but after learning of the relocation l had to change to another university. Some of my friends changed courses in LAUTECH. But l changed institution since l don’t know which faculty will be moved again.”
Recall that the present administration in Oyo state led by Engr Seyi Makinde has established a new campus of the institution at Iseyin to house the faculty of agricultural sciences and renewable natural resources.
Consequently, the 200 level students despite intense opposition from students, parents and staffs, were forced to relocate to assume their second semester of the ongoing session at Iseyin.
ogbomosoinsightonline.com reported that many of the students have refused to move with some preferring to write UTME again to seek admission elsewhere.
As at the last count less than forty percent of the students are said to have reported at Iseyin.
Furthermore, students, parents and some alumni of the faculty have taken the state government to court on the matter praying the relocation be declared illegal.
