Prof.Godwin Onu Urges Teaching Staff to embrace the recommendations of Textbook Pricing and Quality Control Committee against their Purported Protest:

The Rector, Federal Polytechnic Oko, Prof.Godwin Onu has begged the Teaching Staff (Lecturers) to embrace the recommendations of the Textbook Pricing and Quality control Committee which he set to look into the high cost of textbooks forced on the Students of the Institution who he takes so dear. He said this at the meeting held with the Committee, Deans of Schools, Heads of Departments, Teaching Staff and the Student Union Government. It was gathered by CAMPUSMIRROR that some of the Teaching Staff of the Institution had planned a protest against the Rector and his Management Team for enacting the above named Committee which was done to hinder their wealth and riches.
However, the Rector has appealed to them not to think that the Committee was on a witch-hunt mission but on a good pathway to help the students and move the Institution forward.
His words “We invited you here on a very crucial issue, to dialog and appeal to you not to protest against the recommendations of the Textbook Pricing and Quality Control Committee. We are all important stakeholders to the success of this Institution. Students have been bombarding me with complains about the high price of textbooks in the school and the manner they are being forced to buy them. It is important to note that most of these students came from poor backgrounds. When you see a student well dressed and looking beautiful in the class you won’t even know that he or she has not eaten morning food. So it is disheartening to learn that most of you still force them to buy your textbooks directly by passing a pronouncement or indirectly by attaching the textbook to an assignment”
While eulogizing and commending the Teaching Staff for their time and doggedness in advanced research program, the Rector said he was cognizance with the fact that it is not easy to write or publish a textbook no matter how little in volume; but said they should write standard books that will suit at all times, the academic needs of students and curricula of the course which the book has been written for. He said he is also an Author of so many books who has had the experiences of all academic tiers, teaching from Primary to Tertiary but knows also that it is not always easy for the students financially.
While applauding the cooperation he enjoys with his Students and Staff, the Rector said the school has not witnessed any Students’ uprising ever since 2010 he became the Rector and would not like such to happen now that he is winding up because of incessant price hike in textbooks.
While warning the Teaching Staff on extortion, he said God is not always happy with those who extort or force students to buy textbooks; that you may get rich quickly by that but will pay back with family mishaps in future.
He begged the Lecturers to appeal to their conscience as it is unfair to sell a textbook produced with N200 at the cost of N2000 or above. He said such incriminating income can push one into problems as Students cry to God against the Lecturers while buying the textbooks especially by force.
As a man who has gone far in digitization, he encouraged the Teaching Staff and the Students to not only depend on textbooks but also key into enhanced e-learning audiovisuals through youtube for their research work.
The Deputy Rector Administration, Mr. Ejike Nwabuona while supporting the Rector’s gesture of love on the Students said the school will as from henceforth not compromise the standards of textbooks review. He encouraged the Teaching Staff to queue into the line of the recommendations made by the Committee. He recalled the evolution of study materials in schools in Nigeria, saying that handouts were prepared by Lecturers and given to Students free of charge; but that greed now made Lecturers to start selling handouts alarmingly, which led to the closure of sells of handouts in most of the tertiary Institutions including Federal Polytechnic Oko.
The Deputy Rector Academics, Mrs.Gladys Anene while addressing the gathered Staff, said it was too bad that people would not love good tidings aimed at correcting academic anomalies. While detesting the bastardized acts of forcing students to buy even substandard textbooks, she pointed out a case where a Lecturer made students to queue up with textbooks while he marked their assignments. She said such case would not be condoned by the Management when reported. She encouraged the Lecturers to always send at-least, a copy of their textbooks to the school Library to increase research sources in the school.
Conclusively, the Head of Servicom, Mr.Sunday Okeke thanked the Rector for deeming it fit to set such wonderful committee to solve the problems of students of buying textbooks in incremental prices. He said that he had so many petitions and complains he is presently treating on his table against Lecturers forcing students to buy textbooks. Mr. Sunday said that the worst was forcing CarryOver students to buy textbooks they had bought before for the second time.
In appreciative reaction, the Student Union Government president, Nwanyia Johnbosco showered encomiums on the Rector for seeing the students as his own sons and daughters. His words “I commend the Rector’s efforts in always gesturing positivism towards the students’ welfare. I don’t know what the students would have done without the Rector as fatherly as Prof.Godwin Onu. I was a Course Rep in my OND program and I knew how students suffered to pay their fees and house rent. So it was always hard in those days for a student to buy a textbook above N1000. So, I applaud the Rector for setting such committee. He said that the students will go against any group that will frown or protest against this gesture of great generosity and Godly Magnanimity by the Rector aimed at helping the students.”