A Higher National Diploma (HND) student at Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Adekanye Ayomide Elizabeth, has publicly decried the sudden decision by her department to alter her academic pathway.
In a heartfelt Facebook post on Monday, Elizabeth revealed that students in the Journalism and Media Studies programme were being compelled to switch to Strategic Communication, despite having already completed the first semester of their final year.
According to her, students had attended lectures, purchased textbooks, written tests, and sat for examinations, only to be informed abruptly of the department’s decision to scrap their course and merge it with another.
> “We chose Journalism because we believe in the power of storytelling, in truth, and in the media,” she wrote. “Now, because of departmental politics and manipulation, our futures are being tampered with.”
Describing the move as unjust and demoralising, Elizabeth called on the management of Kwara Polytechnic, the Federal Ministry of Education, the media, and the general public to intervene and restore their course of study.
> “Why should students suffer after doing everything right? We deserve the right to finish what we started,” she pleaded.
Her emotional post, which has since gone viral, sparked widespread debate across social media, with many expressing outrage and solidarity.
Efforts to get an official response from the school management proved unsuccessful at the time of filing this report. The President of the Department of Mass Communication also remained unreachable.
In her post, Elizabeth emphasised the students’ commitment to Journalism and their refusal to accept Strategic Communication as a substitute.
> “We are passionate about Journalism and came here for it. We want to graduate with the certificate we signed up for. We need the department to work towards getting Journalism accredited for us.”
The development has raised concerns about transparency, student rights, and the accreditation process within Nigerian tertiary institutions.
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