Eniola Olorundare
The University of Benin (UNIBEN) is not turning back on its decision to impose a sum of N20,000 for late registration of students.
This decision was reiterated by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Lilian Salami on Friday in Benin.
Salami explained that the behaviour amongst students had continued to have negative down-stream impact on the institution’s operations, and ability to deliver the quality of education and students’ support she promised and committed to, as vice-chancellor.
Beyond this, she said, research further showed that there was a direct correlation between late registration and poor student academic performance.
“The sad fact is that less than 25 per cent of our students register on time yearly, no functional or high performing education institution can thrive with such lackluster statistics,” she said, adding that early registration remains critical for effective operations of the university.
According to her, timely registration provides insight into the students’ volume/demand and allows for smarter planning to ensure that there are enough staff, courses and funding to support the students accordingly.
“It was based on the bad practice that the university Senate on Aug. 2, agreed to increase the existing payment of late fee from N10,000 to N20,000 on all students, as another attempt to further encourage early registration.
“The announcement saw significant growth in early registrations from 2020 rate of 35 per cent to 93 per cent.
“We haven’t seen this rate of early registration in decades. It is a UNIBEN record without question, and Kudos to those students who chose to make their education a priority,” the vice-chancellor said.
Phenomenal news further recalls that the imposition of the N20,000 late payment fee on students, on Tuesday, led to a two-day mass protest in the institution, forcing the management to reverse the decision.
