Every institution has something unique about it. This uniqueness makes them stand out and, to some extent, what makes them unique, which could be regarded as their culture, can either make or mar the reputation of the school. But for the purpose of this write-up, we will focus on the positive aspect of uniqueness.
For my school, Aksu, back then, I noticed two things that made them unique and these things helped them attract more students and build the reputation of the school.
The first is the prompt release of results and the issuance of certificates to students before they go for compulsory youth service, NYSC. It was a culture that after graduation, the Senate would process certificates as quickly as possible, allowing students to go to service with their certificates, whereas most universities issued only statements of results and students had to finish service before coming back for their certificates. This was so encouraging and made the school stand out.
Furthermore, for those of us in the science department, we enjoyed great facilities and equipment. The school was blessed with good science equipment and we used all those instruments during practicals and it was fun. I can remember a day when a visiting lecturer came and advised us to make use of the opportunity wisely because the school he came from had no such instruments, especially in the physics laboratory.
These things made the school stand out among others in its environs. So you would always hear people say, if you want to get your certificate on time, go to Aksu. Again, I do not think we did any practicals without complete sets of instruments.
