Category: Campus Life

In many higher institutions, equipment designed by students as their final year projects have been abandoned. The students are not happy that what they laboured for are being treated this way. PHILIPS OGBAJE (400-Level Information Technology, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola) examines the implication of these abandoned projects for education.

FOR every graduating student, it is a compulsory course. Those who refuse to take it know the consequences of their action; they risk not graduating.

Project entails conducting research on any topic of choice of the student under the guidance of a lecturer.

Though not taught as a course, project carries high credit units, sometimes as high as eight-credit unit for two semesters. However, policies vary according to institutions. A project is like the proverbial debt which every final year student must pay before graduating. While some students look forward to it; others don’t, because, according to them, it is “stressful and time consuming.”

For a well researched project, students are required to use the library, Internet, or gather other data empirically. The written report from a project contains sections on date of the research, methodology, analysis, findings and conclusions.

While some projects involve mainly report writing, others require students to come up with a particular design and construction of equipment. Those who undertake such projects are mostly Engineering, Pure and Applied Arts, Computer Science and Information Technology students. Construction and design projects are known to be time consuming, stressful and expensive.

Despite the huge resources and time invested on these projects, they are literally abandoned almost immediately after completion by students, and the reports packed and dumped in the store rooms of departments. This practice which is common to most tertiary institutions is not limited to first degree projects; the theses for Master’s and doctorate degrees’ are also left to rot away after completion.

At the Department of Pure and Applied Arts of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, for instance, works of art and sculptures by students dot everywhere in the department. These sculptures are churned out every year in their hundreds, at huge costs to the students only to be abandoned in the rains.

The story is also the same in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, (UAM), Benue State, where hundreds of past projects of students are scattered in the open. The only difference is that some of the projects adjudged to be good are kept inside while the others compete for space outside.

At the old engineering block, Moddibo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola, Adamawa State, mechanical and electrical equipment designed by former students have become seats for visitors and students. Some of these equipment are products of demanding research work, ingenuity and creativity.

Though some of the machines are operated manually they have great market value if utilised and projected. For instance, graduates of Mechanical Engineering in MAUTECH designed a sachet water nylon recycling machine as their final year project. Some of the students, who spoke with our correspondent, said if the machine is improved upon, it could save the country from the environmental hazards posed by indiscriminate disposal of nylons and create jobs for youth.

Unfortunately, the recycling machine is lying idle at the engineering complex.

An Engineering graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Olumide Famoroti, said the way the projects are treated would not encourage students to give their best to research.

Benjamin Okon, 400-Level Fine and Applied Arts, UNN, said it was discouraging to see expensive projects abando4ned by the management. “Our projects are supposed to be ideally displayed in an art gallery or sculptural garden but here, we don’t even have opinion of what to do with those works,” he said.

Othniel Abutu, a graduate of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, UAM said:“it is absurd and a huge waste to dump students’ projects in the open after they spent resources to accomplish them.” He urged government to show interest in the projects in order to improve on the research works and make them economically viable.

Jude Maneke, 500-Level Mechanical Engineering, MAUTECH, who is currently undertaking his final year project, told CAMPUSLIFE: “My project involves the design and construction of a mechanical chicken de-feathering machine; a machine that automatically removes feathers from slaughtered chickens. The initial estimate of the total cost is N150, 000, excluding the transportation and the paper work. It will be a huge waste of money if after all these, the machine is abandoned just like others. I will be pained.”

B.T. Kwalagbe, an Academic Technologist, in charge of Biological Science laboratory, MAUTECH, blamed management of institutions for the waste. “Every project, whether it involves report, design or construction, is ideally supposed to be continued. If, as a Biologist, I conduct research in a community and discover a particular disease and submit report without carrying out further research on how such could be treated and controlled, I would have done a shoddy work and this is what is obtainable today in Nigerian higher institutions. Research works are not continued because there is no encouragement; students should be encouraged by providing them with adequate wherewithal to do further work. But most universities do not do this, students submit projects just to graduate while lecturerS supervise projects to be promoted,” Kwalagbe said.

Dr Hassan Abdulsallam, the Dean of School of Engineering and Engineering Technology (SEET), MAUTECH, said: “Project works are abandoned today because government is not interested in investing in the research works carried out by students. Nigerians are only interested in finished products. In some developed countries, projects are kept in special centres where students with ideas on how they can be improved upon are encouraged with grants and sponsorships.

“In addition, governments of these countries have legal framework that forces the private sector and institutions of interest to invest and sponsor viable projects to its marketable stage. But this is what we lack in Nigeria and we must change our views to ensure students know what they are taught in class through these project works.”

Adeola Adelabu is a 500-Level Agricultural Economics student of the University of Ibadan (UI). He is vying for NANS president in elections billed to hold in Jigawa State later this month. He told MUSLIUDEEN ADEBAYO about his programmes.

Why are you contesting for NANS president?

I am driven by the passion for positive change. I believe that all hands must be on the deck to make the body the voice of students. I believe in playing my own part to improve human situation, which is why I am contesting. I want to ensure a new NANS that will flourish in this democratic dispensation without losing its value which is the protection of students rights and guaranteeing their welfare.

Do you have antecedent in politics?

I have been representing my department and actively participating in politics since my 100-Level days. I was the Chief Whip and Speaker of my hall of residence. I was also the director of admission in the Junior Chamber International (JCI) and later became Executive Assistant to the National Collegial chairman of the group. I was elected the Social Director of the Faculty of Engineering after which I was selected as mobilisation officer of NANS. I also contested for the presidency of UI Students Union Government (SUG).

How will you settle the problem of factions that may arise after the election?

The election will be monitored by National Universities Commission (NUC), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), operatives of the State Security Service, Nigeria Police Force and Ministry of Education officials. I believe none of them would want to soil its image by going ahead to conduct another factional or kangaroo election after Jigawa election in November. Besides, there is no faction but leadership crisis.

Many are of the opinion that NANS has lost its voice. Is the notion true?

NANS is gradually winning the heart of Nigerian students because it is now responding to issues based on collective interest and I promise to continue with the trend if elected. We want to tell the public that rascality and hooliganism in NANS is now a thing of the past. Unionism has moved beyond guns and bullets but dialogue and consultation. This is the era of peaceful settlement of disputes. Our stand on issues will based on collective interest but NANS is still relevant. We will resuscitate SUG in schools that do not have it in place and this will make NANS more relevant on campuses.

What is your view on the attacks on students in the country?

Government must strengthen security in all campuses because I see attack on students as assault on our collective good. This is the first time that criminals will be attacking students without restraint. Each time they attacked campuses, one noticed the security responses were weak as is the case in Mubi in Adamawa State. We are saying that the case of about 40 students killed must not be swept under the carpet. Also, Aluu killing in Port Harcourt must be pursued to its logical conclusion. Culprits must be appropriately sanctioned as a deterrent to other criminals.

What is your advice for students?

Students should always be active in fighting for their rights but in a civil manner because we don’t want hooliganism. We must embrace dialogue with managements of our institutions. When dialogue fails, we can explore other peaceful means to drive home our interest but we must not suffer in silence.

At an event last week, I witnessed an incident that made me almost blow my top and wonder what type of children some parents are grooming, or have already groomed. A young lady of about 22, in her bid to move in between tables spilled her drink on the head of an old man old enough to be her grandfather. I gently pointed to her that she just spilled her drink on the head of someone. She looked at me sternly, shrugged her shoulders, waved her hand and muttered “so?” I couldn’t believe what I just witnessed; I simply shook my head while other people came to my aid. There was a shouting match when they reprimanded her appropriately, all the while; the old man was just staring at her in disbelief. That was when someone, who apparently knows her, muttered: “and she’ll say she is a 300 level student in the University”! After enquiries, I found out she’s an undergraduate in a private university in Ogun State.

This incident, and a couple that I’ve witnessed where you’ll see a young man or woman walk straight to the counter in a supermarket wanting to be served, oblivious of the fact that there may be more than 10 people on the queue awaiting their turns to be served. This has got me wondering that we may have “unconsciously” raised a generation without a core value system, a generation that may not believe in processes, but in quick fixes. This has permeated almost all aspect of our system. Why is a set of value system relevant in an individual’s life or a society, we may ask.

Most nations, I know, have constitutions used to establish the groundwork for that nation’s social, legal and ambitious future. It establishes the basic relationships between the citizens of the realm and between them and their rulers. It defines rules for good and bad practices, laying down laws against taboos while preaching certain practices as essential. This generally is the means of identifying the nation’s values or value system. It is assumed that a nation’s value system is sacred and could extend beyond that nation’s boundaries. All nations are supposed to be proud of their value systems, just as a person is proud of his or her upbringing and character and would try to impress that behaviour and beliefs on others.

Basic values are traditional and historic, reflecting aspects of the experience that each nation went through since its inception as a national unity. The greatest part, however, used to be – and, in some cases, still are – extracted from the main religious teachings of the nation. In fact a value system is based on averaging the total human experiences and producing a compromised version for all to follow. Religion is often present at the heart of a human value system. Those who believe in God and a specific religion would prefer their ‘holy’ constitutions to ‘human’ ones and, if they accepted the latter, they would do so with the proviso that they are allowed to practice their own religions at the same time.

Our value system therefore is the sum total of our ideas and beliefs. It includes every opinion we hold about life. Each thing we like or dislike, and the importance each one has to us, merges to form our unique value system. Our value system develops through what we are taught and experience, combined with our reactions to them, forming our preferences and our unique perspective on life. Ultimately, every opinion we have in life is based on something in our value system.

The quality of any society is directly linked to the importance of the shared values. Two people may share a common interest in football, but if one thinks the other is a liar and a thief, they likely will not develop a deep friendship. On the other hand, if we have a mutual interest in keeping our neighbourhood safe, our views on sports will not interfere with our working together for that common goal.

Relationships grow over time as the citizens grow together in their values. When two people meet for the first time, they do not know very much about what the other person values. Each one makes assumptions about the other, some of which are true while others are false. Yet, over time, if they discover that they agree on their most important values, their relationship will deepen and grow stronger.

This is also true regarding all family relationships. Parents usually seek to instill their values into their children. As a child grows, he forms his own unique value system from what he learns from his parents. The quality of the relationship the parent and child share is completely dependent on how much they agree on each other’s most significant values.

Good neighbourliness is based on common values systems and we experience this truth every day. We want to be with those who share our interests and moral ideas. Conversely, we avoid people who do not share values similar to ours, whether in moral areas of life or simply in manners or interests. In fact, it is difficult to enjoy a relationship with someone who is substantially different from you.

Of course, the true values that we hold are the ones by which we actually live. If we claim to value something, yet do the opposite of it, then we actually value something else. If I claim to value truth, yet lie, then there is something more important to me than telling the truth. My lies prove that I hold some other value more deeply than honesty. Every family has rules or expectations of what each member should or should not do. The degree to which we follow those expectations reveals how much we agree with them. Although we might not agree on a rule or expectation, we might still live by it in order to preserve our family relationships. In that case, we value the relationship as more important than choosing our own rules and having our own way.

Our actions are the first indicators to ourselves and others about the values we hold because the values that we live by are connected to what is most important to us. However, we can sometimes have other desires in our hearts that differ from our actions. To be completely at peace within ourselves, there must be conformity between our deepest values and how we actually live. That is, you must be committed to your deepest values and seek to live according to them. Otherwise, you will experience inner conflict because you have not determined which values are most important to you, and every choice you make will not flow from a firmly held belief about that area of life.

It is sad to note that some parents have abdicated the responsibility of instilling core positive values in their children and have left that to schools, nannies and the society to do, but what such parents fail to realise is that schools don’t train children, parents do. My reference on children here is predicated on the fact that character and values is better instilled from the formative years of a child. What a school or society does is to guide, the onus is still on the parents to provide the moral foundation in which their children’s future would be firmly anchored.

The school, in most cases, is first and foremost a business venture set up to make profit. If you doubt this don’t pay your child, ward or children’s school fees for a term or semester and see what happens. That proprietor that often smiles at you and the Teachers that open your car doors and give your children a “warm hug” grinning from ear to ear will show you their true colours. I don’t believe that the parents of the young lady I mentioned would be pleased with her behaviour.

A month after  a new academic session began at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN),  students are yet to resume. Why? It may not be unconnected with the increase in school fees, reports OLADELE OGE (400-Level Mass Communication).

Four weeks after the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) began a new session, students are yet to resume. Only a few students, who have paid their school fees, are attending lectures.

Lecturers, said the absence of students may affect academic activities. They wondered why students not returning to campus.

CAMPUSLIFE learnt that it may not be unconnected with the increase in fees.

At the Enugu campus, students demonstrated against the hike in Internet charges, which jumped from N3,000 to N12,000. This does not include other charges students have to pay during registration. The students argued that their parents could not afford the new fees. They also said there was no electricity to charge their laptops to ensure they logged on to the Internet when they want.

At Nsukka, students complained that the management was unfriendly and insensitive to their plight. When CAMPUSLIFE spoke with some students who were yet to return on phone, they said they needed to raise money before they could come back to campus.

Lecturers are lamenting that the development may affect their course outlines and period. Last week, most of the departments visited by our correspondent were yet to commence lectures. Some lecturers vowed that they would not go back to teach the absentees the courses they missed.

At the Faculty of Agriculture, for instance, only a few final year students were present as at the time of filing this report.

At the Faculty of Arts, which always bubbled with various activities, only freshers were around because of their clearance. Lectures have been abandoned by majority of the students.

However, at the faculties of Engineering, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and some departments in the Faculty of Social Sciences, lectures were held for students. Some lecturers conducted their continuous assessment tests.

Some of the absentees, who spoke to our correspondent, urged the management to reduce the fees so they could return to the school.

Daniel Mama, 300-Level Mechanical Engineering, said management must identify with poor students, who could not afford the new fees. “The plight of indigent students becomes more pitiable when many of them find out that tuition fees has being increased. Some, perhaps, made calls to find out the situation of things on campus from their colleagues that are in school, who may have told them that nothing is going. This will make them to continue their stay at home.”

To Uchenna Kingsley, 300-Level Geology, if lectures began on time, the session may not experience any hitch. “Students should come back to campus for us to conclude the academic session on time. If they continue to stay at home with the notion that they cannot afford the new school fees, we will be the one that will be affected after all,” Uchenna said.