OAU in Trouble as Court Faults School for Downgrading Student’s Result
- The Federal High Court in Osogbo has faulted OAU over the alleged downgrade of a graduate’s academic result
- The court has ruled the university acted arbitrarily after changing a confirmed “Pass with Credit” classification
- OAU has, however, been ordered to restore the original grade and pay damages, alongside legal costs, in the judgment
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A Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun state, has ordered Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) to correct the academic record of a graduate after ruling that the school wrongly reduced her grade.
Source: Facebook
The case was filed by Shekoni Jemima Oluwagbemisola, a Physiotherapy graduate who completed her Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation (B.MR) in 2023. She told the court that the university initially confirmed her result as “Pass with Credit” in November 2023 and even listed the same grade during its 47th Convocation ceremony.
According to her case, as stated by The Guardian, the problem started when she applied for her certificate and later discovered that the school had changed her classification to “Pass” without explaining why. After internal efforts to fix the issue failed, she went to court.
Court awards student damages
Delivering judgment, Justice Adefunmilola Demi-Ajayi said the university acted in an “arbitrary and reckless” manner and failed to follow proper academic and administrative procedures. The court held that OAU violated the student’s fundamental rights by changing her result without a lawful reason.
The judge also criticised the institution for not properly investigating the issue before making changes to her academic record. The court said this kind of action could not be justified in a reputable university system.
The ruling stated that the downgrade caused the graduate emotional stress and affected her academic and career plans, especially since she had already used the earlier result for postgraduate applications.
The court, however, ordered OAU to issue her certificate reflecting the original “Pass with Credit” result, in line with the university’s earlier Senate approval. It also directed the school to pay N5 million in damages and N800,000 as legal costs for the case.
Source: Facebook
Man switches OAU to EKSU, graduates
Previously, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian man who began his academic journey at Obafemi Awolowo University as a pre-degree student eventually graduated from Ekiti State University after facing admission setbacks.
He explained that he was denied his desired course at OAU, which forced him to transfer to EKSU. The transition, he said, came with challenges, including repeating 200 level after changing his academic path.
Despite the difficulties, he successfully bagged a second-class upper degree in Human Physiology with a 4.43 CGPA. He also balanced his studies with running a makeup business throughout his time in university.
UI Nursing student switches from OAU
Legit.ng had earlier disclosed that a Nigerian nursing graduate, Ganiyu Waliyat O., celebrated her induction after completing her studies at the University of Ibadan with a first-class degree and top academic honours.
She shared that she initially began her academic journey at Obafemi Awolowo University as a Chemistry student in 2018, but continued pursuing her dream of studying Nursing, which later led to her transfer to UI.
Despite challenges, including the COVID-19 disruption, she excelled academically and graduated as the second-best student in her set. She also earned multiple awards, including the Vice Chancellor’s Cash Prize and excellence recognition.
Source: Legit.ng
