Don’t force us to go home, OAU students beg management

Students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, have appealed to the management of the institution to allow them spend their mid-semester break on campus.

A statement by President of the Great Ife Students’ Union, Olayiwola Folahan Festus, Secretary General, Odewale Samuel Damilare and Public Relations Officer, Ogunperi Taofeek Olalekan, urged the management to allow those who would like to remain on campus and should not force them to leave their hostels.

The statement stated that most students had expressed worry over the sudden break, owing to its financial implications.

“Following the two-week mid-semester break announced by the management, the union has made moves to ensure that students are not unnecessarily put into discomfort. This is coming as a result of worries expressed by many students.

“It will be recalled that the university management on Saturday, March 26, 2022, announced a two-week mid-semester break beginning from March 28, 2022. The announcement has stirred arguments among students, with many expressing concerns.

“For some students, it is difficult for them to deal with the financial implications of travelling home only to return in two weeks. For all the reasons that may be adduced to substantiate the mid-semester break, the union maintains that the break must be observed in a way that does not adversely affect students who may choose not to go on break,” the statement stated.

“The union, in an effort to ensure that students’ interests are protected, has thus taken the following positions:

• That the mid-semester break must not be made compulsory for students and, as such, only those who wish to observe it should do so.

• That students who are not interested in going home be allowed to stay in their respective halls of residence without any form of forced eviction or intimidation.

• That the university management should fulfil its obligations towards students who may not go home for the semester break.