Date: 2018-05-03

The University of Ilorin, Centre for International Education (CIE), is planning to increase the number of its international students from 300 to at least 1,500 or 5 percent.

The Director of the Centre for International Education (CIE), University of Ilorin, Prof. Olabisi Olasehinde-Williams, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Ilorin on Wednesday.

She said that the number of foreign students at present is 300 from the 30, 000 total population of students in the institution.

Williams said that the Centre also intends to strengthen the quality of relationship the University has with other institutions with which it has Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).

The director noted that in strengthening relationships with other universities, the centre has begun revitalizing the activities of the desk officers within the confines of the MoUs.

She added that the centre also seeks to strengthen collaborations with agencies that can give grants for research and technological development in order to strengthen external resources.

The don explained that the centre was also planning to increase the number of staff and students on exchange programmes.

Olaseinde-Williams said, "currently, we don't have more than three students going on exchange programmes per annum.

"We are looking at the possibility of increasing it to 10 annually, as well as placing students on internships and fellowship both locally and internationally." The director explained that the centre would work closely with the Student Affairs Unit to ensure that the accommodation issue for international students is addressed, as well as improve CIE activities on the web, especially in the area of online application for foreign students.

"The procedure for admission of foreign students is cumbersome.

"We want to see a situation where we have facilities on the web that will help facilitate online application for foreign students so that they won’t have to come here to apply.

"We are also looking at having a section of the portal created for international students, so that we can have adequate record of them," she said.

Recalling how CIE was established in 2009, the director said that CIE was borne out of the need to have a centre that will be a link between the University and other institutions in the world.

The director said that the centre has students from 17 different countries in the world.