Ololade Adeyanju
The outcry that greeted the reported suspension of some students of Covenant University for missing the just concluded Easter ‘Youth Alive’ programme is yet to abate, as parents of some of the affected students have called on the Federal Government to sanction the management of the institution.
Some even went as far as suggesting that government should mandate the National Universities Commission (NUC) to withdraw the university’s operating licence.
The programme is organised annually by the Living Faith Church, owned by Bishop David Oyedepo, who is also the proprietor of the university.
Some of the affected students were reportedly placed on suspension, ranging from four weeks to one academic year for not being part of the retreat. Others were barred from taking part in the ongoing semester examination.
The degree of punishment was based on the number of times a student was absent from the programme.
The parents, who spoke to Newsmakers on the condition of anonymity to protect their wards from victimisation, urged the government to curb the excesses of faith-based academic institutions, which are fond of imposing various draconian rules on their students.
Arguing that these institutions cannot operate outside the purview of the NUC, they said the fact that the institutions are not run as charities must necessarily limit the amount of religious idiosyncrasies to which they can subject their students.
A parent, whose son was stopped from writing an examination for missing a single day of the programme due to ill health, noted: “There is absolutely no sense in what the management of Covenant University is doing. Granted they are trying to instill discipline in their students, a thing most parents commend, they must nonetheless avoid overdoing it. You do not cut the nose to spite the face. The offences these children have committed did not warrant such stiff punishment.
“As far as I am concerned, what the institution has done is illegal. Is Covenant University above the law? For instance, the programme my child missed took place during Easter. This was a bank holiday declared by the Federal Government. Yet Covenant University defied the government and insisted their students must remain on campus. I do not think that was a fair decision. Staying on campus during a public holiday should be the sole prerogative of the student
“Even in my own case, I conceded for my child to stay on in school during the Easter break. He, however, fell ill and could not attend only one of the programmes. Yet, he was prevented from writing his exams. That is something that can have a fundamental effect on his entire future. There is no way that decision will not affect his psyche and, ultimately, his overall grades.
“Besides, this school is not a charity. So, who will now pay for the extra time the student might end up spending in school because of this irrational decision? Somebody certainly needs to answer that question.”
Another parent, whose child was also affected, said it was time government established a clear distinction between an educational institution and a religious organisation. According to him, the authorities of Covenant University have taken religiousity to a ridiculous extreme by their actions.
“Government needs to caution the owners of these faith-based institutions. I will suggest that government must ensure that heads of religious bodies, be it church or mosques, do not have overbearing influence on the educational institutions owned by such bodies. Schools must be run like what they are and not like an appendage of a religious organisation. Of course, except such schools are run as a charity.
“Government needs to caution Bishop Oyedepo. He is a highly revered man of God. But that does not give him the right to act God. Covenant University is not the only faith-based institution with religious codes. But some have ensured these have no direct impact on the students’ academic grades. They have devised other means of punishing erring students. Where is the sense in making a student lose an entire session or a semester because he did not attend a church service. That is primitive, to say the least. If it was in a seminary, that would have been an entirely different case.”
Newsmakers could not reach the management of either the university or the church for comments.
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