The Ag. Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, (ABUAD), Prof. Michael Ajisafe, has advised the students of Afe Babalola International Study Centre (ABISC), Ibadan to always be of good character and tow a path of rectitude and decorous behavior to ensure a bright future for themselves.
Ajisafe who visited the institution with some top officials of ABUAD and conducted round its facilities on February 20 said the students of the three-year old institution have a lot to learn from the Proprietor of ABISC and Founder wave-making ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, a man who made the impossibility possible through sheer hard work and unyielding determination garnished by the grace of God.
Ajisafe particularly emphasized the need for the students to always dress well, pointing out the way people dress is not only the way they are addressed, but that decent dressing could open doors of opportunity for them.
As he often does in ABUAD, Ajisafe who won a scholarship for his Bachelor’s and Graduate studies in United State in the 60’s, promised to send to gifts to three best dressed boys and girls.
He told the enthusiastic students that ABUAD is waiting to sign them in, come September 2014, after they must have passed all the required examinations. And like the Founder is wont to say, they can be any (good) thing they want to become in ABUAD like the 18 First Class students of the pioneer set who have been offered automatic employment in the university and the Best Overall Student, Miss Adesola Akomolafe, cruising home in brand new car.
Addressing with the staff, the Ag. VC urged them to see the students as their own children, brothers and sisters as the case may be and assist them in their academic work, as is the practice in ABUAD, to enable the students realize their potentials and become great and successful men and women in the nearest future.
Earlier, ABISC Director, Dr. Dayo Ajayi, told the visitors that ABISC runs four proyrammes, namely: Degree Foundation of Afe Babalola University, Cambridge Advanced Level and Pre-degree of Afe Babalola University as well as International Examinations like SAT, TOEFL and GRE as well as GMAT, emphasizing that students in the first three categories (ABUAD Degree Foundation, Cambridge Advaced Level and ABUAD Pre-degree) of the programme are made to go through rigorous periods of training, including lectures, periodic tests and examinations.
According to the Director, lectures commence at ABISC as early as 8 am and end at 4 pm, pointing out that unlike the standard practice whereby a 3-unit course attract three hours of lectures/week, a 3-unit course in ABISC attracts nine hours of lectures/week, adding that “to properly groom the students for ABUAD standard, Ajayi added that ABISC lecturers put in as many as 15 hours of lectures/week”.
On the other hand, the facilities at the Centre include Hostel accommodation with spaces for a Common Room, Reading Room, Porter’s Room and Canteen in each hostel, a 500-seater Multi- Purpose Central Auditorium, a 32-seater well-equipped laboratories for Physics, Biology and Chemistry and 8 lecture rooms of different sitting capacities as well as a British Council-compliant strong room built to specification with a fire-proof cabinet.
Others are a well stocked physical library, an E-library with close to 6,000 volumes, on-line Data bases and a website as well as an ICT laboratory.
Responding on behalf of the students, Caleb Shanabo and Juliet Alfred thanked the Founder, who they hoped to meet before they leave ABISC, for his laudable vision of championing the provision of quality, functional and reformatory education, and the Ag. VC, for creating time to visit them. They said they have been enjoying their stint at ABISC, but they are looking forward to better and greater days in ABUAD, come September 2014.
Others members of the VC’s entourage are the Representative of Board of Trustees (BOT) of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Prof. I.O. Orubuloye and the Director, Academic Planning, Yekeen Lawal and Mr. Tunde Olofintila of the Public Relations Unit.
Others are the Head, Media and Communications, Mr. Lai Ajisafe, Mr. Pius Ibitoye of the PR Unit as well as Miss Nike Aduroogbola and Miss Misan Ogholaja of ABUAD Radio.