Olabisi Onanbanjo University, Ogun state, is set to start a work-study programme for students to earn stipends as they study and work simultaneously on the school’s campus.
This enables students with demonstrable and proven vocational skills to work as they attend classes. It was contained in a notice to students signed by Olufemi Ogunwomoju, the school’s registrar.
“The University Management, in a bid to ease the financial burden on Parents and Guardians and to significantly reduce the rate at which Students drop out of School due to financial constraints, has introduced the Students Work Study Programme,” Ogunwomuju said in the notice to all students.
Work-study programmes are standard around the world. For undergraduate and graduate students in need of financial assistance, work-study offers part-time occupations that enable them to make money to cover educational costs. The programme promotes work relevant to the student’s academic programme and community involvement.
In Nigeria, some universities already have such programmes. The University of Lagos, Lagos state, has had a work-study programme since 2015. Babcock University, in Ogun state, also has a work-study programme. The school says that aside from easing financial burdens, the main goal of the work-study programme is to allow undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students the opportunity to receive a well-rounded education in line with the philosophy of Adventist education globally and to work while they learn so that they will be able to integrate with the changing society after graduation.
Babcock University runs a work-study programme that offers students part-time jobs to help them with their financial obligations. The programme is supported in large part by financial funds allocated by the university.
Residents and members of the community who are full-time students may participate in the program. Their spouses are not included in this. For registered students, the maximum weekly hours are 20, whereas, for unregistered students and during holidays, the maximum weekly hours are 40. Every academic session, the work-study programme is assessed to improve effectiveness and give other students who want to join the program job opportunities. One department is the only one where a student may work.
In 2022, Lagos State University started a work-study programme with 10 students. The programme was created in such a way that it does not interfere with the academic and extracurricular responsibilities expected of students.
The Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ago-Iwoye is emerging as a bastion of learning for the twenty-first century in teaching, and research. It is the second-oldest university in the Southwest, the oldest in Ogun State, and the sixth-oldest in Nigeria. Out of a total of 57 state universities in Nigeria, it was named the “Best State University” in 2016. As of this writing, it is ranked 17th out of 279 higher education institutions in Nigeria in terms of web visibility.
