Abimbola Abatta, Osogbo
The management of Osun State Polytechnic Iree (OSPOLY) has debunked a statement credited to the Zonal Public Relations Officer of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr. Olatunji Nurudeen, condemning the payment of the late registration fees of regular students of the Institution.
The school stated that it has been very lenient with the students on the payment of approved fees which have been due since February 2020.
The Registrar of the Institution, Mr. Busari Salawu, in a release, noted that the NANS statement “is jejune, frivolous, and misleading.”
According to the Registrar, “it should be recalled that the Management has held a series of meetings with the leadership of the Students Union on the need to pay their school fees promptly.
“More so, it is the policy of the Institution, and in the tradition of institutions globally, to impose sanctions on any student who refuses to pay his or school fees six weeks after resumption, but because we are lenient with the students, and took into account the hardships occasioned by the outbreak of Covid 19 in Nigeria in March 2020, we extended it till the 13th week after the resumption,” the Registrar explained in the release.”
He exclaimed that the Second Semester Examination of the polytechnic would begin in two weeks and “it is devastating that majority of the students are yet to pay their school fees.
“It reeks of bad leadership that the President of the Students Union Government who is expected to show a good example to other students has also refused to pay his school fees as at now.
“It may interest the entire students that the Rector of the Institution, Dr. Woye Olaniran has held a meeting with the Zonal Executives of NANS and members who have appreciated the Management for its humane handling of the payment, noting that it was long overdue.”
He further noted that if it were to be other institutions of higher learning, the payment portal would have been closed and erring students would have been asked to proceed on a leave of absence.
The management, thereafter, urged members of the public to disregard any release by some people to misinform the public.