Many practices in Nigerian Universities are really cool, and students look forward to those activities. These activities could be academic or non-academic. However, many other things are happening that Nigerian Universities should stop once and for all. Ten of these things are listed below.
Table of Contents
10 Things that Nigerian Universities Should Abolish
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Over-admitting students
Many Nigerian Universities, particularly public schools, are guilty of this act. The schools over-admit students, especially to “hot” courses. If they have the capacity for 200 students, they admit 500 or more and hope the remaining 300 fail. Sometimes, they fail them on purpose so that they won’t proceed to the next session or at best dump them in other departments the students do not wish to be in.
This practice is wicked, and inhumane and Nigerian Universities should stop this terrible behavior. It has led many students to go into depression or drop out of school. It is a money-generating venture for the schools at the expense of the well-being of the students.
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Unapproachable lecturers
In a standard University setting, lecturers should be approachable. The reverse is the case in many Nigerian Institutions. The lecturers are semi-gods who cannot be wrong and are not questionable. Students cannot approach them on any matter at all. The lecturers are the alpha and omega. For instance, they can come late without apologies, cancel lectures, and give unfavourable grades to students without fear of sanction.
Some even lose the exam scripts of students, and the students have to bear the consequences. They also find it hard to write recommendation letters on behalf of their students.
Nigerian universities should stop these fearful and unapproachable patterns of lecturers’ behaviours. Contrary to the Nigerian mentality, it is not a healthy way to learn.
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Mass failure and mass hysteria
There is no better way to put the headline for this third point. Upon resumption, some courses have an automatic “unpassable” label attached to them. Only a select few will pass it, notwithstanding the effort put in by students. These courses are often compulsory, and as a student, no matter the effort, you will only do as much as the lecturers permit.
For example, on his first day in class, a lecturer can say, “A is for God.” Or “if 70 students have an A, the exam is too easy (in a course of about 400 students).” He could also say, “In my time, we didn’t pass it, and you are not smart enough to pass it,” and so on. These scare tactics already demoralize the students and create a fear that will ultimately contribute to their failure.
Nigeria Universities should stop this tactic and find more proficient teaching methods.
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Missing scripts
If you attended a Nigerian University, particularly a public university, and did not have a missing script, you are very fortunate. This issue has made many students have extra years in school for incidences they can’t control. Students fill out attendance sheets to certify they wrote the exams, but once the script is missing, the lecturers alleged that the student missed the exam.
Most times, some lecturers won’t even bother to search for the script and just grade the students with a fail mark. Some lecturers, to assuage their guilty conscience score the student an E to avoid the student rewriting the course, with no care to the damage to the CGPA of the student.
This practice in Nigerian universities should stop, and university officials should take practical steps to ensure that students do not suffer needlessly.
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The concept of an extra year
Sadly, this applies to almost all government universities. Once a student fails a course and cannot fit it into the new semester, they are likely to have an extra year added to his course. Some departments have a reputation of several students failing a course in their final semester, thus making them register for a new session.
In many schools, the student has to write the paper during the extended holiday rather than wasting another year. This concept of resitting an exam is only possible if the exam papers are marked timeously. Nigerian universities should stop delaying students’ results so that they can know their fates and make provisions for possible resits of exams.
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Lack of conducive accommodation
Accommodation of students is a major challenge in many public universities in Nigeria. The shortage of conducive accommodation birthed the term “Balloting.” This occurs when students have to go through a first-come, first-serve route to secure school accommodation.
Unfortunately, those that do not secure such accommodation are left at the mercy of private hostels and unscrupulous house agents. This automatically robs the students of the security of being in a university environment.
Nigerian universities should stop the “Balloting” system and find a way to provide conducive accommodation for their students.
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Inadequate learning facilities
It will not come as a shocker to students who attended public Universities that some laboratories do not have the necessary chemicals and equipment.
This inadequacy extends to not having conducive classrooms for lectures. A class of 200 people may be holding a lecture in a classroom built for 100 people, and it is a wonder how the students learn in a classroom with little or no ventilation.
Nigerian Universities should stop forcing inadequacy on students and create a conducive learning environment.
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Delay in processing transcripts
This is no shock to many Nigerian students that universities process transcripts with the speed of a snail. As a result, it takes months to get a copy of your transcript despite payment.
It is good to hear that some schools are gradually putting an end to this issue, but most Nigerian Universities still have this challenge.
Read also: The sad truth of life after University in Nigeria
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Attitude towards extracurricular activities
It is important to note that education is not limited to learning within the four walls of a classroom. Other activities should be encouraged as it contributes to the students’ overall learning. A great student will bring glory and pride to the university.
Nigerian universities should stop the belief system that
extracurricular activities are a distraction and instead view it as a blessing.
Read also: How to make the most of university life in Nigeria
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Repetitive syllabus
This leaves a lot of learning gaps as many lecturers have used the same note for several years. They repeat the same thing even when there are several obvious advancements. Only a few select lecturers go out of their way to improve their teaching techniques.
This is sad because these same lecturers demand a lot from students when they do not even give the bare minimum of updating their notes. Nigerian Universities should find a way around this issue.
In conclusion, many issues raised above are interwoven, and solving one may bring about a multiplier effect of solving all others. Nigerian Universities should look into abolishing these acts for greater output.
Well, the gods have spoken. We know there are more issues with Nigerian universities that this article didn’t mention. What is that thing that annoys you about Nigerian universities? Share in the comments. Join our WhatsApp community for fun and insightful conversations.
About Author
- Torera Oladeji is a Nigerian lawyer. She has a flair for writing and has decided to explore that passion. She is fun loving, enjoys her own company and hopes to be an established writer soon. She is currently a volunteer with Insight.ng
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2 comments
How prevalent is the practice of over-admitting students, particularly in Nigerian public universities, especially in high-demand courses? Can you elaborate on the consequences of this practice, such as intentionally failing students or transferring them to undesirable departments? How does this impact the quality of education and the overall academic experience for students?
Hi, Komunikasi.
Over-admitting students has become a norm in Nigerian Universities. The ratio of students to resources available is very high. A high-demand course like Law witness over admission and this has an effect when law students want to apply for Law school. Lecturers intentionally fail students to reduce the number of students due for graduation, students studying professional courses such as Pharmacy, Medical Rehabilitation, and Medicine and Surgery are transferred to undesirable department because they failed (some are failed intentionally) but it’s a disguise to reduce the population. All these has impacted the education system in a negative way, the education system has lost it value and it’s no longer dependable.