26. August 2025 Admin

University of Ilorin Senate Approves Upgrade of Postgraduate School to Postgraduate College

By Tajudeen Babamale

The Senate of the University of Ilorin has given its approval, in principle, for the transmutation of the University Postgraduate School into a Postgraduate College. This landmark decision, taken at the 306th Senate Meeting chaired by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, sets the stage for a comprehensive restructuring of postgraduate education at the University.

Key Update: The Senate directed the University Management to establish an implementation committee to actualise the decision and address administrative challenges.

Committee Recommendations

Presenting the report of the Senate Committee on Enhancing the Administration of Postgraduate School (Autonomy), Prof. Raji Abdulgafar Bello stressed the need to resolve several administrative bottlenecks before transitioning.

Additional staffing and restructuring are required to enhance operational efficiency.
The postgraduate budget, currently tied to “ways and means,” should receive higher allocation to cope with inflation.
Prompt payment of external examiners’ honoraria for Ph.D. and Master’s degrees must be ensured.
The mode of payment for Master’s degree external examinations should be reviewed to streamline processes.

Why the Transition Matters

The Committee emphasized that upgrading to a Postgraduate College aligns with the National Universities Commission (NUC) approval of the University of Ilorin as a tenable institution for the local component of the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS) Intervention Programme.

This new structure will:

Recognize academic Departments as key partners in postgraduate training.
Be headed by a Provost, with Sub-Deans elevated to Deputy Provosts.
Transform the School Secretary into a College Secretary.
Assign each Faculty a Sub-Dean (Postgraduate College) to serve on the College Board.