Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Benue State University (BSU) was yesterday closed down following a protest by students over the introduction of four-points Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) grading system.
The students, in the early hours of the day, had besieged the gates of the university preventing human and vehicular movement in and out of the school premises. The action of the students, had left staff and students who came for their morning duties stranded.
Some of the students who spoke with Daily Sun said the peaceful protest became necessary following the University management’s refusal to revert to the 5-point CGPA grading system as directed by the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC).
They noted that the NUC had in the 2015/2016 session, in an attempt to eliminate Pass Degree in the Nigerian university system, directed all universities to calculate students Cumulative Grade Point Average using a four-point scale and not five-points as it was in the past.
“Most universities have adhered to the NUC’s directive and reverted to the five-points grading GPA. BSU and a few other universities have remained adamant, even after several negotiations between management and students leaders,” said a student, who volunteered to speak on the condition of anonymity.