Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Five students of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State will be graduating with First Class honours, with another set of 30 students coasting home in a Second Class honours in Upper division during the institution’s third convocation ceremony scheduled to hold Wednesday.
The university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chinedum Babalola, who disclosed this while addressing journalists on activities slated for the institution’s 3rd convocation ceremony, said a female student from the department Criminology and Security Studies, Miss Martha Kave emerged as an overall Best Graduating Student, having garnered a 4.98 as her Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) out of the entire 44 graduands of the institution.
Prof. Babalola, a Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacokinetics in Nigeria recalled that the institution which took off with just seven students in the year 2016, has been marching on strongly.
She also attributed the feat recorded by Chrisland University to the “stick and carrots” approach adopted by the management of the institution in dealing particularly with the moral training of students in the university.
She said that the institution was able to hold its convocation on yearly basis despite COVID-19 issue that affected academic programmes of many tertiary institutions in the country in 2020.
“The COVID-19 outbreak did not affect our programmes because of the facilities we have on ground which allowed both virtual and physical lectures.
“We have been having our convocation as at when due. We had the first convocation in 2019 with seven students. In 2020, 28 students graduated and this third convocation, 44 students are graduating.”
“It is not easy to make First Class in Chrisland University. Only five out of 44 made First Class, 30 made Second Class Upper Division while nine others made Second Class Lower Division.
“At Chrisland, we are not only concerned about academics and that is why we have instituted two awards, best behaved graduating student (male) and best behaved graduating student (female). It is interesting to note that our best graduating student, also emerged as best behaved graduating student in the female category,” the Vice Chancellor said.
Highlighting activities for the third Convocation Ceremony, the Vice Chancellor, said the programme would start with the celebration of late Mrs Emily Imokhuede, who had been identifying with the school since inception adding that a female hostel, would be named after her as well as commissioning of projects.
She said the Convocation proper would hold on Wednesday where graduands, would get their Bachelor Degree and Certificate in Entrepreneurship.
“We want learning that is for a purpose. We want education that will fulfill a purpose and not just education for just having the certificate. We already have collaboration with industry. We want mixture of town and gown.”