The Nation Newspaper

Tag: exam

  • Protest disrupts exam

    The first semester examination of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State was disrupted on Monday following the barring of students who have not paid their school fees from writing the examination. MODESTUS DIKO and AMINAT POPOOLA report.

     

    ALL was quiet at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, on Monday because of the impending exam. Suddenly the atmosphere became tense as the “no school fee, no examination” directive of the government was enforced. Two students were said to have died in the ensuing melee.

    The management, in a statement, denied the death story, saying none of the protesters was hurt.

    It said only students, who met the deadline and had confirmed their payment status, would be allowed to write the first semester examination, which was to begin last Monday.

    The Secretary to the State Government, Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa, last weekend, in a statement, said government would bar students that owed cumulative school fees from taking the examination. The government advised students who have not completed the registration to do so or stay away from school.

    The government, Adeoluwa said, had compelled the university authorities to postpone the examination three times to allow all students to regularise their payment records. He noted that five categories of students were identified in the audit report submitted by the Olusegun Osinowo Visitation Panel set up in 2011 to review the academic situation in the institution.

    According to the panel, the first category of students included those who were properly registered, had matriculation numbers and had paid their school fees up to date. The second category included students, who had matriculation numbers but requested the school to allow them pay their school fees in installments.

    The third category identified in the panel report was the students, who had matriculation numbers but had continuously defaulted the school fee payment terms over the years with the claim that their parents could not afford to pay.

    The fourth category included students who were mainly in 300-Level and 400-Level, but who did not register or pay school fees for the previous academic years. This category had been directed by the Governing Council, in line with the National Universities Commission (NUC) guidelines, to apply for reinstatement of their studentship which had lapsed as a result of their non-registration for one or more academic sessions.

    The fifth group, according to the panel report, consisted of students without matriculation numbers, who were not registered as bona fide students of the university.

    Having reviewed the situation, Adeoluwa said the government regarded those in the first category as the only set of qualified students, who would be allowed to write the semester examination.

    The school fees ranges between N70,000 and N150,000 per session, CAMPUSLIFE learnt. The government’s directive affected mostly freshers and their colleagues in 200-Level. They were asked to defer their admission following their inability to pay the school fees.

    All final year students, who are yet to pay the fees for the last session, would be made to spend extra year, while 300-Level students that are yet to pay for the previous two sessions would repeat back to 100-Level.

    Students, who were barred from writing the examination, gathered to protest on the campus. They prevented their colleagues in Faculty of Law, who were filing into a hall, from writing their examination. To prevent the situation from degenerating into a chaos, riot policemen were drafted to the scene.

    The policemen were reportedly led by the Area Commander of Ijebu Ode Command, who met with the students to leave the campus. Adamant, the protesters were dispersed.

    According to a student, who pleaded anonymity, the policemen fired tear gas, which resulted into pandemonium as students scampered for safety.

    Some students, including the president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Ayokunle Omojola, were said to have been injured in the chaos.

    Efforts to reach the police Public Relations Officer, Mr Muyiwa Adejobi, were futile as he did not pick his calls at the time of this report.

    A statement by the Acting Registrar, Mrs O.A. Osunsanya, reads: ”The attention of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) has been drawn to the libelous report that lives of some students were lost during a recent protest against regularisation of studentship, which disrupted arrangements for the 2012/2013 Harmattan semester examinations.

    “The management wishes to categorically state that there is no iota of truth in the report as widely circulated in the social media networks.

    “The general public is advised to be wary of the antics of some mischief makers, who peddle false information capable of damaging the reputation of Olabisi Onabanjo University.

    “Management advises parents and guardians to closely monitor the activities of their wards to prevent them being recruited by detractors of the university.

    “Members of the university community and indeed, the general public, are assured of the return of normalcy to the campus. All registered students should note that the reschedule examinations will hold as announced.”

     

  • Students, teachers trade words over exam

    Students, teachers trade words over exam

    After examination, students tell tales of how they tackled the questions. When the results are released, the tales continue, depending on whether the majority are successful or not.

    At the University of Calabar (UNICAL), there are students who do not read or attend lectures but prefer to go to parties. Such students are seen on campus during examination. When the results do not favour them, they cited various reasons ranging from strict invigilation to lecturers’ lateness to class and complicated course outline for their failure.

    Lecturers complain that students don’t start studying until examination is around the corner. They wondered how students would prepare for exam two weeks before it starts and expect to pass all the courses. When examination gets closer, the school library and classrooms are packed with students. Yet, students still fail exams.

    Some students who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE said lecturers contributed to their failure. They complained that lecturers do not start their lecture until two or three weeks to examination.

    John Ngam (not real name), a student of the Faculty of Allied Medical Science, UNICAL, said: “Two weeks to our exams, that is when lecturers come with photocopies of materials with diagrams for us to study for exams. In such situation, we are left with no choice but to burn their mid-night candle in order to get acquainted with the materials given to us. We study the materials aggressively but how many of us understandd the scope?”

    A Radiography student, who identified herself as Tracy, said: “After the August 2011 riot, semesters have been unnecessarily short but students are expected to attend all lectures without giving us break to adequately prepare for exams. This makes some of us to resort to cramming of formulas and equations that could have been learnt with ease. And when one crams to write exam, one hardly remembers anything in the examination hall. I will urge the management to look into our curriculum and see if they can reduce the work load. Many of us can no longer bear it.”

    In anger, a 500-Level student of Radiography, who did not say his name, said he and some students were delayed in writing examination because they did not submit their class admit card. “The invigilators told us to wait outside. We waited for about an hour before they later called us in. A few minutes after, we were asked to submit the answer booklets. How do they want us to pass the exam is such manner?” he said.

    There is no reason for students to start reading at the beginning of semesters, said a student of the Faculty of Management Sciences, who simply identified himself as Emmanuel. “At this period, the course outline will still be in progress. So how do we read a topic we have not been taught?” he wondered.

    A 500-Level Law student, Jessica, said the management should borrow a leaf from institutions such as University of Benin (UNIBEN) where students were given three to four weeks to prepare for semester examination. She said: “Here, we given two weeks, which is not regular, to prepare for eight to 10 courses. Last session, there was a paper which students failed woefully. We did not prepare because there was no time to do so. This was why the Dean of Law faculty ordered that the exam should be retaken.”

    A student of the department of Political Science told CAMPUSLIFE, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “I no longer understand what is going on in my department; it seems Political Science department is the toughest in UNICAL. The lecturers are too strict and many students are complaining. We need management to come to our aid.”

    A student, who is known on campus as Jackson, said students should be blamed for failure in examination. He said laziness made students to pile up work until examination caught up with them. “What students are supposes to learn in three months, they will abandon it and engage themselves in unproductive things. When the exam comes, they will race against time to read for ten courses in two weeks. Some of them will cram and still mess up at the end,” he said.

     

  • Varsity ends semester exam

    Varsity ends semester exam

    The first semester examination of the Gregory University, which started penultimate week, is rounding off. The university, which is located in Uturu, Abia State, was recently established. Unlike many new institutions, exams were held in conducive halls; the problem of congestion did not arise.

    Speaking to CAMPUSLIFE, Mr Elijah Efetobor, a lecturer in Mass Communication department, commended the authorities for the feat, describing the university as a world class institution that came to set the pace for excellence in the country and beyond.

    “Gregory University is a world class university that has come to set the pace for university education in Nigeria and the world at large. You can see the orderly manner in which the examination is being conducted. The students are comfortably seated and the examiners are all around to make sure everything is moving on effectively,” Efetobor.

    Students who spoke to our correspondent asserted that the university had come to redefine university education in Nigeria. After the examination which is expected to end tomorrow, the institution would round off its first semester.

     

  • ‘No accreditation no exam’

    ‘No accreditation no exam’

    THE University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) is at it again. Weeks after it was reopened following a three-month closure, it has been hit by another crisis. The school was to begin the second semester examination last Monday when trouble started. Engineering students disrupted the exercise as they insisted on the accreditation of their course for the school to know peace.

    The protesters stormed the mini campus, blocking the main entrance. They barred students who were going for exam. Others already in the exam halls were sent out by the demonstrators, who tore their answer booklets.

    It was the second time the students would be disrupting the degree exam. Last November, the aggrieved students went on the rampage, destroying properties. They also destroyed the portrait of the Vice-Chancellor.

    In solidarity with the protesters, officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) were on the campus. Addressing the students, NANS president, Yinka Gbadebo, said the association would not rest until the management got courses accreditated by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    There were reports of arrest of some students by security operatives, who stormed the campus to disperse the protesters. No university official was available to address the demonstrators, who were chanting “no accreditation, no exam”.

    Ikechukwu Johnson, 400-Level Mechanical Engineering, who was reportedly arrested by security operatives, said he was flogged by armed policemen. He said: “I was beaten mercilessly by the police. They arrested many of us, who were protesting against the non-accreditation of our courses. After we were flogged, they asked us to move into their Black Maria. They were ready to take us to their station when the Commissioner of Police ordered that we should be released.”

    The institution has been seeking accreditation for all Engineering, Medicine, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine courses. Last May, some students took their case to the Federal Ministry of Education. Education Minister Prof Ruq’uayyat Rufa’i told them that the crisis would be resolved.

    Prof Rufa’i was said to have given the management a six-month deadline to get the programmes accredited by November. The institution was only able to get interim accreditation for programmes in three of the faculties.

    The four faculties were established seven years ago without inadequate teaching facilities. The Engineering faculty has four departments, comprising Mechanical, Civil, Chemical and Electrical and Electronics.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that when the school resumed on February 4, the management did not open hostels.

    The exam, initially slated for February 11, was postponed by one week. The Vice Chancellor, Prof Sunday Adelabu, who addressed students, last week, said the postponement was necessary to allow students settle down and prepare for the exam.

    On February 6, the management opened the hostel for only final year students. A student, who identified himself as John Prince, said he came from Lagos and lodged in a hotel because he could not stay in the hostel.

    Prof Adelabu said presidents of different departmental associations pleaded with him to extend when the exam will start.

    But CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the departmental presidents met with Engineering students last Sunday, pleading with them to allow the exam begin without hitches. Our correspondent learnt that the Engineering students stood their ground, saying “no accreditation no exam”.

    The aggrieved students complained that since 2005 when the faculty was established, no student had either graduated or gone for National Youth Service. The Engineering faculty has two graduated sets but none of the graduates has been mobilised for Youth Service. There is also a complaint that the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) is yet to accredit the four engineering programmes.

    To facilitate a successful accreditation, CAMPUSLIFE gathered, Prof Rufa’i gave N4 billion grant to the university to upgrade its facilities before the NUC team’s visit. One of the protesters said: “We kept ourselves abreast of the movement of the money from the ministry to the school bank account. We thought the money would be used judiciously but here we are; nothing has been done to upgrade any facility in the Faculty of Engineering.”

    NANS president Yinka, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, he would meet with the management to ascertain the situation of things. He promised that he would obtain the accreditation document from the Vice-Chancellor to show the students.

    During the protest, there was fire in Red Bricks, a Hall of Residence on the mini campus. A room in the hostel was razed before men of the Fire Service arrived to put out the fire. Aondo Akura, a final year student, said he saw smoke coming out from the block and immediately alerted residents.

    The university’s Public Relations Officers (PRO), Mr Garba Waziri, could not be reached for comment.