No fewer than 50 students of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, graduated with in Class degree grade while 250 obtained their Phd within shortest possible perid, The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Ibrahim Garba , has said.
Speaking at the 40th convocation of the university on Saturday, Garb said “This happened for the first in the history of the Institution , to graduate students with high number of first class holders and many Phd graduands.”
He said 8, 260 had graduated from the institution this year out of which 3,600 are post graduate Diploma students while 2,300 hold Masters degrees.
According to him, ABU is the largest University with highest students population in Nigeria with high increase of applicants annually.
We received no less than undergraduate 15,000 application every year, but we could only admit 10,000 students, so the competition is higher ‘’.
He said that in order to stream line the academic activities and accommodate the increasing number of students, the university has introduced Distance learning programmers at both at undergraduate and post graduate level in various disciplines include management studies, Social sciences and education.
“As part of our restructuring programmes, the university had established the A.B. U Business School where Departments of Business administration, Accounting , Banking and Finance and Economics will be brought under one School’’.
He said the arrangement of the establishing the school has been supported by the Central Bank and Institute of Charted Accountant (ICAN) with the cash backing of N 6billion to build 250 seaters complex building.
“We have also agree to establish the College of Health Science to replace the existing faculty of Medecine. The College will be headed by Provost and deputy. It is going to be an autonomous college like other arms of the University’’.
On research, Prof. Garba said already the universities have continued to intensifies effort to impro its research on A.B.U made in Nigerian car, operation of Mini –Refinary, development of ethnol project as well as sugarcane production.
He complained of the dwindling state of funding to universities noting that not much could be achieved in education without funding.
Prof Garba ,described the establishment of new universities by federal government as wrong approach towards salvaging tertiary education from deteriorating also noted that the establishment of new universities without funding does not reflect the realistic challenges face by most nation universities.