By Bashir Turawa
As I sat at a corner, critically pondering on life with its difficulties. Then, the thought of Nigerian Tertiary institutions filled my mind. The poor state of Nigerian tertiary institutions is alarming. Although, there’s been a saying which states that ‘no struggle, no success’ but that doesn’t mean we should be faced with difficulties more than we can withstand. The problem of finance had been the major problem faced by many students until the problems given to us by the government and our lecturers claimed superiority.
Most lecturers in Nigerian tertiary institutions have made the delay in release of results a habit. Students are always complaining about late release of results which always delay their registration for a new academic session. Some lecturers go to the extent of not releasing previous results until two weeks to the examination of that same course in a new session which is of great disadvantage to students who are carrying over the course. They find it difficult to meet up since they were aware of their failure just two weeks to the exam.
When school resumes for a new academic session or semester, we’ve known some lecturers with the habit of not coming to class for lectures until three to four weeks after resumption. Some will not even show up till two to three weeks to exam. When they arrive, they give boring lectures and leave, but not without dropping a threatening material that you’ll find difficult to comprehend.
Most students are always of the opinion that they always write meaningful answers to questions in tests and examinations but results released to them do not always meet up with their expectations. Calling for remark of exam is not advisable because you might end up wasting your money and time. You just have to let go.
“You can never score ‘A’ in my course” has been an axiom so much cherished by some lecturers. Even if you write down the whole material for them, having grade ‘A’ is not possible. May be the percentage of failure of students is part of the criteria used in promoting them, I don’t know.
The issue of sex-for-mark scandal shouldn’t be left unattended to. Some lecturers demand for sex from female students for them to pass a course. No sex, no mark. The case of an OAU professor is a testimony. Whom are we to report such to? If at all you report to any committee set up by school to address such issue (if there is any), you’ll realise that the committee will address the issue at the club using the same table with the lecturer. What can one do? You see, it’s only when you challenge your mate you call it a game. When you challenge someone greater than you, you know what happens? The answer is blowing in the wind.
Nowadays, the word ‘strike’ is no more used only in sports and war. Our universities staff have proved to us that they are good at striking more than Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and other notable sportsmen. When ASUU strikes, the thunder of ‘Sango’ in conjunction with that of ‘Amadioha’ is just a learner. NASU would then say ‘OK, you think you can strike ba?’, then, they will embark on strike too, there by turning it to competition among themselves. Where two elephants fight, the grass is always the one to suffer. Students will go back home and stay with their parents. In the end, you’ll realise you’ve used up to five or six years for a four-year programme.
It’s the duty of the government to provide free and encouraging education for its citizens but it’s not so in Nigeria. When parents strive hard to pay our school fees, the government decides to increase tuition fees. Hike in tuition fee is nothing to write home about. The issue of the increase in tuition fee in AAUA is a testimony. May be they thought all students are of rich backgrounds, I do not know.
The government should please pity us students by setting up a committee that would see to the issue faced by students of our tertiary institutions from lecturers. The committee should be totally free of any staff of our institutions in order to avoid ‘connection and networking’.
The government should meet the demands of academic and non-academic staff of our tertiary institutions in order to put a stop to threatening and perpetual strike.
Also, they shouldn’t forget to make learning easier for us by reducing our school fees and providing us with learning facilities. God bless Nigeria.