ABSU, ASCETA Bicker over Status of Students

Provost of Abia State College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu, (ASCETA), Dr Phillip Ntoo, has absolved himself from being responsible for the non-graduation of some sets of his institution’s students since 2017. Ntoo, said some of the students have not fulfilled the requirements of the Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU).

This is even as the affected students said all fees and levies demanded by ASCETA authorities, to enable them graduate from ABSU, and be mobilized for the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Scheme, were duly paid.

On its part, ABSU, accused ASCETA, of failing to remit funds that will facilitate the processing of ASCETA students’ degree results, saying that as soon as that was done, the results would be released and the graduates mobilized for national service.

The ASCETA Provost had alleged that, as an affiliate of Abia State University, NCE students desiring to pursue their bachelor’s degree studies in the college, were required to finish their certificate courses, with full results, before commencing their degree programmes.

He further, said that some of them were only given “provisional admission” for first degree studies from ABSU, without completing the requirements before they are due for graduation, noting that, another handful of students that were yet to conclude payment of their dues, were also affected.

These, according to him, were the reasons some of the students due for graduation five years ago, have not been issued their results and NYSC mobilization.

Ntoo, who was responding to allegations that he refused to pay ABSU it’s due, to enable the management work on the students results and mobilize them for service, however claimed that he inherited some problems in the institution from its past management, which included non-payment of the fees it agreed with ABSU, before starting the degree programme.

Some of the affected students who did not want their names in print for fear of victimization, faulted the claims of the Provost, saying that “we have paid all necessary fees and levies demanded by the college, did our clearances, and have waited for many years without any response from ASCETA.”

The problems, the affected students noted, were caused by ASCETA’s failure to pay necessary fees to ABSU with which they have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), on affiliation programme for award of degrees.

 “I have graduated for five years now, I have not been issued with my certificate because ASCETA, has refused to keep to the agreement, and they had with the ABSU.  “They signed an MOU, when the degree programme started in 2009, that a percentage of our school fees, will be paid ABSU, which would graduate and award us degrees and mobilize us for NYSC.

“However, since the present ASCETA management took over, they have not been paying ABSU which is the reason ABSU stopped issuing our certificates and ended the process of mobilizing ASCETA student for youth service,” one of the affected students lamented.

In his reaction, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of ABSU, Mr Chijioke Nwogu, said that some payments were needed to be made to the institution before processing ASCETA results, stating that if the fees are paid, the students will get their results.