The management of Ebonyi State University has denied causing the death of a female student, Miss Ugwuka Favour Chinonye, who committed suicide. Recall that the deceased took her life, claiming she was frustrated by the university and could not graduate as a result of a lecturer, who was marking her down.
Her death sparked off heated controversies with many accusing the management of being responsible. However, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, who addressed newsmen in Abakaliki, maintained that the university has a system for redress, if after examinations a student feels he or she had been marked down or was being victimised by a lecturer.
The Vice Chancellor said it was discovered that the deceased was not a brilliant student because she had failed some courses and performed very low in others.
He said: “When a student is confident that a lecturer has deliberately marked him or her down, and is sure that he or she passed the examination, what the student does is complain to the Head of Department (HOD) or Dean and request a re-mark, which will be sent to the Vice Chancellor’s office; and it is usually sent to another university to re-mark.
“Some of them, on very rare occasions, have returned positive. Whatever the student gets here is usually what he gets from the other university after the re-mark. That is the process.
“If at the last examination, the late student felt she was marked down by the lecturer, she would have complained to the Dean and ask for a re-mark and the paper would have been sent to another place for that purpose.
“But from what was seen, it’s not that the student deserved to pass and didn’t pass. From the record, you will find out that this is not the only course which she didn’t pass.”
Speaking further, Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Prof. Ngozi Emeka Nwobia, claimed she had the true copy of her results, and that the late student performed below average.
“I have the certified true copy of the results of Ugwuka Favour Chinonye with the registration number, EBSU/2018/89726, of the department of English Language and Literature who registered in the year 2018/2019.
“In the first semester, she offered nine courses out of which she failed three and had a Culmulative Grade Point (CGP) of 1.78.”
“In the second semester, first year, she took eight courses. Out of the eight courses, she failed two and had a CGP of 1.75, thereby having a sessional CGP of 1.76.
“In 2019/2020 which is her second year, she registered a total of 10 courses and out of the 10 courses, she was absent in two, Intermediate English Composition (ENG 215) and Philosophy and Logic (GST 102). Out of the eight she wrote, she failed two. She had a CGP of 1.41 in that first semester. In her second semester, she registered 10 courses. Out of the the 10 courses, she failed four and had a CGP of 1.82. Total CGP in her second year is 1.62.
“In her first semester, third year, (2020/2021), she took a total of 10 courses and failed History of English Language (ENG 201). She also failed Advanced English Syntax (ENG 313) and African Heroic Literature (ENG 325). She made a CGP of 1.83.
“In the year 2021/2022, she took a total of 11 courses and failed two, making a CGP of 1.83. In the second semester, she failed four courses, making a CGP of 1.18. Total CGP for the session -1.52.
“In her extra year, 2022/2023, she registered a total of six courses in the first semester. Out of the six courses, she passed all. In the second semester, she registered a total of six courses and failed one out of the six, giving her a CGP of 2.84.”
“After the extra year, her outstanding courses were ENG 224, ENG 416, and ENG 422. The bone of contention is ENG 416. In 2021, she scored 40 which is fail. She took it the second time in 2022/2023 and had 21 which is also fail.”
