Lagos — A student at the Lead City University, Ibadan rushed home crying and everybody in the her family was disturbed and agitated by her revelation. The family members had expected her to be participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) early this year. That was however not to be as her school, had a backlog of students awaiting call up. Her parents consoled her that going by the words of the university and considering that she was done with all her academic requirements she would be mobilised for the scheme later this year perhaps with the first batch or at most with July Batch.

Alas, they were off the mark; the crisis was deeper. She revealed to them that the university management had issued a statement that most of, if not all, their 100 level results were missing. As a result they have to retake those courses and pay N50, 000 per course before they can be considered for graduation and subsequently participate in the NYSC scheme.

There are questions that must be answered. Firstly, whose responsibility is it to keep academic records? This is a rhetorical question. Secondly, didn't the university release those results in that session? Yes, they did. This raises question on what money being charged is meant for. Is it for allotting marks? Also what is the role of National University Commission (NUC) in this embarrassing matter?

This ugly development at the Lead City University goes beyond mere exploitation of the poor by the rich but further shows that private university is no solution to the decay in the education sector. It also reveals that no amount of money paid by individuals or parents can adequately fund quality education.

The fact is that most of these private universities that have mushroomed over the decaying public education are substandard and "cash and carry" institutions, or at best glorified secondary schools. They lack adequate facilities for quality learning and are grossly understaffed. They rely on the part-time service of teachers from the public universities. I, indeed, reliably gathered that most of the lecturers who taught the courses in question have left the Lead City University for better welfare packages elsewhere.