Professor Ekundayo Alao, the Vice Chancellor, Adeleke University, AU, Ede, Osun State, said the university management had worked out a work-study programme for students of the institution while undergoing their academic studies.
“Adeleke University has come up with some lifeline programmes for students’ sustenance that go a long way in complementing their parents and guardians’ financial commitments. Several of them had been integrated into the varsity’s workforce where they work and earn money to provide some basic needs for themselves.” he said.

According to the professor of mass communication, there is a work-study timetable that determines the time for academic works and the diverse jobs that are being engaged in by the student employees. The jobs include cleaning services, beautification, gardening, catering, bakery among others.

Adding that the initiative was a part of industrialization, entrepreneurship and dignity of labour initiatives, the VC said that every student ‘s employee know the  number of  hours to put in per week and what to earn.

The programme also prepares them for job creation after graduation also enthused that most of Adeleke varsity graduates are already employers of labour, especially in small scale industries. Explaining the rationale behind the work-study and agric programmes, Alao stressed that education is supposed to be a total package, Prof. Alao said.

Ours is a total education where the hands, minds and brains are put to work to achieve the values of education optimally. Children should not be given academic education alone. They need their hands  to work, their brains to think and minds to be tuned with morals and God so that they become fully educated.

“The reason is that education of the head without the education of the mind is not complete. Education must be complete with the hands, the head and the mind. This is where we are going at Adeleke University,” he said. On the facilities available on the university campus, Prof. Alao stressed “we matriculated 840 students. The matriculation is coming at a time that we are starting our post graduate programme up to Ph.D level in four disciplines which include mass communication, biochemistry, micro biology and computer science.

“Also, there is masters programme in religious studies, nursing, anatomy, physiology. By this time next year we will begin college of medicine, college of dentistry and college of pharmacy. We have adequate capacity to accommodate more students because we have hostels that can accommodate 3,000 students, a library that can take 5,000 students. We have competent professors, senior lecturers and other staff.

He added that “My charge to the students that matriculated is to be responsible and be the best in the country. They should use their minds, brains and hands very well to be able to achieve what they want. When God is present in every system everything will be alright but when he is absent everything will amount to nothing”.