EKSU FRENCH STUDENTS IN TOGO AND BENIN REPUBLIC
The attention of the Management of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti has been drawn to a report trending online captioned “TO EKSU AND ALL STAKEHOLDERS”.
The report brought to the fore the plights of 29 and 7 French students of the University, who are currently embarking on an academic programme in Lome, Togo and Cotonou, Benin Republic; respectively. According to the report, the students have been caught by the declaration of Covid- 19 lockdown by the Togolese and Beninoise governments, thus, causing them hardship in terms of feeding and other upkeeps.
For the information of the general public, the academic programme embarked upon by the students is part of the requirements that French students must fulfill before graduation. This has been the practice for a long time pre-dating the present administration under the leadership of Professor Edward Olanipekun, ViceChancellor of Ekiti State University.The onus is always on the parents of the participating students to cater for the feeding and other financial needs of the students, while the University Management provides logistics such as facilitating the institution of the academic programme.
However, Management empathizes with the students, more so that the global Covid – 19 pandemic has caught up with them in a foreign land.
Accordingly, Management has approved the payment of a sum of #20,000.00 to each of the students as a form of palliative to cushion the effect of the present situation on them. Arrangement has, therefore, been concluded to credit the individual accounts of all the students for them to access the fund without further delay.
This, however, does not obliterate the role of the parents on the students. It is required that they should not shirk in their responsibility to provide for the needs of their children.
