Prof Rasaki Ojo Bakare is first Professor of Dance in Africa and former Artistic Director of Abuja Carnival. He is now Dean , School of Post Graduated Studies, Federal University Oye Ekiti. He is the first Dean of the university PG school. In this interview with Gbenga Sodeinde, he speaks about the inspiration behind the PG school and why prospective post graduate students should make the institution their choice. Excerpts:
How did the school of post graduate studies in FUOYE come about?
The school of post graduate studies took off in October 2017, it is slightly over a year old now. It was inspired by the need to get the university to offer post graduate education and also for the maximum utilization of the man power, Fuoye has many professors and academic as staff members , and you don't really feel fulfilled as a senior academic without you engaging at teaching at the post graduate level. If you look at ither universities establisher FUOYE has really gone far ahead of all universities that existed same time with it. In terms of personnel, infrastructure, acquisition of teaching facilities and laboratories, and availability of academic staff and non academic staff and so by October 2017, we thought that the university was ripe for teaching at the post graduate level.
This was what led to the university senate to take the decision to start the school.
We took off with 16 programmes in eight departments both at masters and doctoral levels but we had to wait until more of our programmes acquired full accreditation status, and as soon as that happened, more departments were enrolled into the post graduate programmes and so as we speak now , we have 60 programmes across 30 departments in the school, both at the Masters and PhD levels. A few of the departments also offer Post graduate diploma programmes..
What makes the PG school unique?
Off course FUOYE is a new university, it is just about nine years old but we are very ambitious, consistently, we have been ranked between 12 and 14 out of 96 universities in the country. FUOYE has been the first among its peers, I mean among the Former President Good luck Jonathan established universities. The height the university has attained is monumental and that is its selling point for the post graduate school. You need a university that worth its onions, you need a university that is hungry for name and fame, to start a post graduate school.
If you go to a place where people feel relaxed, or satisfied with what they have achieved, you are not going to have a fulfilled experienced as a post graduate student. That
The fact that in FUOYE there is so much happening, we are up beat in virtually everything we do because we want to catch up with the Ibadans, and Ife's, that is the reason why students should come here because we know we aim at the best in what we are doing here, this is why qualified candidates should make FUOYE their choice for post graduate studies.
We understand that you are having the maiden edition of your matriculation ceremony on March 27, tell us about it
The matriculation ceremony is just a brief event to make our students legal and bonafide students of the university. It is when you are matriculated and have a matriculation number that you become a legal student. Post graduate students will adorn their academic gowns and listen to one or two lecture speeches. Take the matriculation oaths and sign the forms and get their matriculation numbers. Nothing big is happening except that and because this is our first matriculation ceremony in FUOYE, so we should really celebrate it. It signifies that the university is maturing, we will be having as inviter guests bigwigs, traditional rulers, some of the Deans of post graduate studies across the country, some Very Important Personalities, leaders of thought, university administrators and some national figures and other will be invited.
We also understand that the PG students of the drama department of the university are performing a play, since you are the founder of the department, tell us about this too.
The post graduate students of the department of theatre feel it would be appropriate for them to entertain their colleagues in other Dept's with a performance so they chose Ola Rotimi's Our husband has gone mad again which is a high comedy , I am aware that the performance is ready as they have been rehearsing for some time. The performance will cone up March 25 and 26. I consider it a good one coming from them, feeling that the matriculation should not go without them bringing their colleagues for entertainment in the theatre to enjoy the performance.
When is the next admission for the PG school taking off?
We should be advertising before the end of this month, in a week from now, we will have our adverts on the PG school website and in some national papers.
The 2019/2018 academic session will take off in September 2019 which means that students should begin to apply from April this year and we should be through with admission by June or July this year.
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