By Adausu Emuobo Taiwo
One of the blessings of the 21st century is the free education that everyone is entitled to, whether young or old; and for a certainty, nobody can and should deny one this privilege, the liberty to learn, the freedom to choose where to be taught and by who.
In recent times the population of Nigerians ready to acquire education has skyrocketed, commencing the need to leave the enclaves of the country to get a learned on foreign soils. Today, the international community plays host to many Nigerians with international experience.
However, it must be a tacit blessing that Benin Republic has provided a leeway to many students open for admissions and the like. This influx provides thriving republic of Nigerians who are open to an entrepreneurial Benin where knowledge delivery is matched with the need to have the skilled experience associated with progress.
One the first and foremost city centers for corporate learning is the Prestigious Institute Superior De Formation Professionnelle clipped as ISFOP-BENIN UNIVERSTIY.
Let’s be clear that Benin University structure is peculiar to itself, a system quite reminiscence and prominent with Frenchifised education, whether private or public universities, internal and external transfer system is encouraged. Why will this not be possible? Why will a lecturer subject a student to emotional harassment and sexual exploitation when the choice of exit safeguards her interest? Tell me? Why would a student be subject to a deliberate bad and terrible grading when massive efforts are put into preparations? A transfer system thus allows for many privileges but with a rigorous process.
At ISFOP BENIN- UNIVERSITY, for instance, the institution takes pride not only in an open door admission policy but with a multi-layered admission process. Students go through a lot of paper push across administrative offices. Students spend a chunk of a while getting through the rigour of admissions. Freshmen, apart from the intense orientation system, first must be acculturated into the French system with a compulsory early learner’s basic communicative French acquisition at all levels.
The Benin government makes it a matter of compulsion that all Anglophone students learn French for the First year to Final year. Interestingly the President of the University, Professor Maurice Dakpogan, and his representative design and coordinate the entry level French as recommended by the Benin Republic Ministry of Education.
At ISFOP BENIN UNIVERSITY, creative yet deliberate effort is put in place to coordinate the delicate yet balanced transfer system into deciding on merit whose academic transcript afford the privilege of placement at upper levels in the university. For many who are bombarded by questions about universities abroad and how admission processes are coordinated in Benin Republic, Isfop-Benin Provides the answer.
Ahmed Giwa and Rufai Wada, students of the university comment generously that ‘the admission process is rigorous and hi- tech. Some of us came as direct entry students from INFORMATICS in Kazaure, Jigawa state, with a two-year diploma. In fact, ISFOP-BENIN university, gives us the chance for a one-year top-up degree as it is obtainable in Singapore. Isfop-Benin has done wonderfully well in this regard. I am aware like many of our kazaure classmates that the university has a direct contact with INFORMATICS to assess the authenticity of our transcript. When they collect the transcript, then we go through the many steps registration process.’
The university ensures that students go through a formal screening process, a result verification process, a counselling system where students are advised on what course is best suited for their pursuit, the academic requirements that befits their results. Like it is required for ideal universities, at ISFOP Information technology is the fulcrum of all administrative activities.
All students are expected, whether regular, direct entry, distance learning to go through an online screening: data capture system, data base compilation, online registration, suitability test for course eligibility, amongst others. This is Obtainable across the three campuses of ISFOP BENIN UNIVERSITY. Thus, students with a diploma and advanced diploma are either eligible for a top-up program or have a direct entry in to second year.
This obviously refutes the myth that ‘Tokunbo degrees’ manufactured in one month and transported like a deceased child, sent to Nigeria, so that NYSC only authenticates a fraud. The fact is that a visit to ISFOP will give you an answer on why Benin universities are open for intellectual business, not intellectual marketing. No wonder the Benin Ministry of Education once stated that ISFOP-BENIN UNIVERSITY is the fastest growing Bilingual university in the country, a brand for truth, courage to stand out, and the will to build students for future challenges.
MYTH: students get easy made certificates in Benin. FACT: ISFOP BENIN UNIVERSITY creates a competitive and creative yet structured academic system where students earn by labour, effort, and hard work.
At the three campuses of the university, academics is top notch. Students have a cordial relationship with their lectures. Lectures are scheduled from 8 to 5 pm for many days, so that students have less time for trivialities. Lecturers that are usually recruited, some on prorata and others as permanent academic staff, have the liberty with strict supervision of the students to participate in all academic life which cuts across administrative seminars, workshops, forums, paper presentation, assignments, conferences, and other academic activities, apart from examinations.
A private institution is not a government funded system neither is it a science laboratory to experiment for just good heads. Every system has its spiced varieties of students with academic laurels and struggling students.
ISFOP DOES NOT ACCOMMODATE THE DREGS AND ACADEMIC REJECTS FROM NIGERIA AND GRANT THEM A SPACE IN THE SYSTEM. Rather, ISFOP reject the dregs, and if they are willing to compete favourably are given the platform to learn to be reformed, to grow, to lighten up, or fade out.
One ultimate question the university does not do is to judge a book by its cover. placements are done by merit, not by linguistic deficiencies, English language fluency, but by your knowledge of the subject area. To ensure that students flourish, the system creates a multilingual environment where Nigerians and other international students can have someone and a framework to attend to their needs.
Ideal universities like ISFOP DOES NOT RUN AN ACADEMIC CALENDAR FOR A SIX WEEK SEMESTER BUT ABOUT TEN MONTHS SESSION. For instance, the 2017/2018 session started September to June 4th 2017. This is adequate enough to accommodate screening, admissions, lectures, assessments, seminars and conferences, including a robust social life.
Students, today, flock to ISFOP not because of its deliberate attempt to build a system for the system, but to create an avenue for students to also thrive in their drives and pursuit. A VISIT to the director of studies of the university shows that the university has a cordial relationship with both the ministry of education in Nigeria and Benin republic respectively. Therefore, when it comes to sticking religiously to what course should have a GO-GO, ISFOP IS A FRONT BURNER.
The university does not run medical courses such as Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy and other medical courses. Only the government owned university of Parokou is granted the license to operate those courses. Why will a university run petroleum engineering in a country where there is no petrol? This rigor and foundation are thus built on the premise to enhanced student life, academic progress and the need to build youths who are skilled and equipped to build nations and redefine the face of the academics in Africa.
Thus, is THE BIG QUESTION: in Benin as it is possibly obtainable in other countries, there are academic universities, business universities and universities as research centres. Which is ISFOP and the plethora of other universities in Benin? ISFOP BENIN UNIVERSITY IS AN ACADEMIC RESEARCH BASED UNIVERSITY PRIVATELY OWNED TO FINANCE ITSELF FROM INTERNALLY GENERATED FUNDS WITH THE GOALS TO EDUCATING PEOPLE ACROSS ALL WALKS OF LIFE. Like the registrar will echo, what comes cheap goes cheap, and what comes with efforts grows the world.
A Swahili proverb often quoted says ‘between true friends, even water drunk together is sweet enough.’ This obviously shows the tenacity at which people advertise the university on all social media platforms, and web pages. You don’t put up an advert for a fraud. ISFOP BENIN university will strive to build learners capable of taking the challenges of the nation at a stride and responding to them with their success stories, their achievements and their handiwork. ISFOP Benin University! It can only get better!!
Mr Taiwo is the Director of Studies of the ISFOP Benin University
