By: IndyPress News Desk

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale, fspsp, has disclosed that the university presently has more female students than their male counterparts with a percentage ratio of 51 to 49.

He made this disclosure during a courtesy visit by Executive Committee members of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) to the Vice-Chancellor’s office.

The team was led by the National President of the Association, Engr. Dr. Adebisi R. Osim as one of the activities to herald the association’s forthcoming Conference and Annual General meeting scheduled to hold on the University of Ibadan campus.

Professor Adebowale emphasised that UI has no gender-based restrictions, pointing out that the demography of gender has changed.

He stated that the UI Gender Mainstreaming Office was created to formulate and implement policies that would ensure that the female gender is not discriminated against in the university.

According to the VC, this ideal is visible in the constitution of the UI management team, saying that the university now has two female Deputy Vice Chancellors while the University Librarian is also a female.

He announced that the university had only recently pronounced the first female professor in the Faculty of Technology, which had been conventionally perceived as a male dominated field.

He commended the executive members of APWEN for their tenacity and courage to promote female engineers and create a platform to empower them to become as exceptional as their male counterparts.

The Vice-Chancellor declared that the University was favourably disposed to rendering necessary support to APWEN to ensure the success of the association’s conference and annual general meeting.

Engr. Dr. Adebisi R. Osim expressed appreciation to the VC for the university’s predisposition towards gender issues, stating that APWEN, being a division of the Association of Professional Engineers, was created 42 years ago.

She said that the association had been on a mission to encourage girls in secondary schools to study engineering and serve humanity effectively.

The President said APWEN programmes were targeted at ensuring workplace readiness and providing other opportunities for internships to young female students who are studying engineering courses.

Executive members of the Ibadan Chapter of APWEN led by the Chairman, Engr. Raheema Abiola Adebanija was also on the entourage.

Credit: UI Directorate of Public Communication