Ebonyi Vasity Students protest as 8 students collapse during stampede at Exam hall

Ebonyi Vasity Students protest as 8 students collapse during stampede at Exam hall

By Ultimatenewsnigeria

Atleast eight students of the Ebonyi State University have slumped at the Permanent site of the institution during a stampede.

The stampede occured as students rushed to access the school's ICT centre slated as examination hall to write an exam.

A source in the institution said the University had adopted the Computer Based Test (CBT) for some General Studies Program (GST) courses.

The GST are courses taken by all students of the institution irrespective of the department of faculty.

The source said the hall where the examination was to be taken was too small for the mammoth crowd of students that were to write the course.

It was gathered that all the students from the four campuses of the University were told to come to the ICT centre to write the exam.

"There was poor planning of the exams. The hall had just about 500 computers and the students to write the exams were over 1000".

The source said the University administration should have staggered the exams so that the hall will not be crowded but they failed to do so.

"Today's exams has again exposed the sorry state of our state University
Many students did not take part in the examination and only 15% of Ebsu students wrote the exam.

"Knowing fully well that a one room apartment which was paraded as ICT centre cannot accommodate all the students of the institution to write GST 101 and 102".

"They should've typed this exams and make photocopies so as to get to all the students but didn't because they paraded today's exam to be a computer based one".

"At about 4:15, the invigilators came out to announce that the exam which has been written Midway has been cancelled", the source said. 

The source noted further that during the course of struggling to go inside the one room ICT hall to write the exam at least eight students collapsed.

"The worst part of it was that there was no Medical centre to rush these students who were already struggling for survival to", the source said.

Reacting to the incident, the SUG President Abanni Samson expressed deep regret at the incident which he described as totally avoidable 

"As leaders and firstly students, the SUG share in the pain of all EBSU students and on this note we assure everyone that never again will EBSU students under our leadership made to go through such horror in the name of writing any exam or undertaking any academic activity including experiences with the consultancy unit of the university".

"The planning could have been better, to prevent the mayhem that was recorded today. I am personally sorry for all who got hurt in any way."

He implored the students to remain calm until confirmation is made over the rumored death.

Meanwhile the students of the institution have embarked on protest to demand the abolishment of Computer  Based Test (CBT)  

The students barricaded the Abakaliki- Enugu Express way preventing motorists from plying the road for several hours.

It took intervention of the Deputy Governor Dr Kelechi Igwe who immediately went to the scene, to open up the road.

Dr Igwe told the students that he has noted their demands and assured it will be given immediate attention.

He advised them not to take laws into their hands, since the present administration is always sensitive to the yearnings and aspirations of people especially students.

The students through their representatives are asking the University Management to abolish Computer Based test since they do not have enough facilities and space as well as total overhaul of the University Management.

According to them,. last test led to stampede, while some students sustained varying degrees of injuries.