Notions (Nigerian academic Learning)

It's not that Nigerian students are averse to learning, but many factors and conditions make academic education in most public universities hell - literally.

Let's start with conducive environment. You are huddled together with 8 other people in a seat meant for only 6 people, another person is hunched over the desk of the seat. 

Looking straight ahead, several people are standing obscuring the lecturer. It is 2 p.m. with the sun's heating furiously and y'all are about 250 departmental students in a class capacity of barely a 100 and that's not including the students combining your course. All the means of ventilation - windows and doors, there are students covering those spaces. No fan - even if there is, it's emitting hot air.

Another - a lecture is a straight 2 hour class with the lecturer dictating monotonously. Meanwhile, you had trekked under the hot sun from a borrowed course you had in a venue at the other spectrum of the school. By the time you reach the classroom, the seats are already occupied. Even standing positions are filled. Your head is swirling, you manage to find an empty spot, just enough for you to lean on the desk or even squat against the wall. You're tryna focus on the points the lecturer is muttering, but said lecturer is not even audible enough. There is no speaker to use.

Morning - At 7 am, you are rushing off to a General Studies Class at an auditorium with just about 5 other departments. You are unable to scramble for a spot and manage to find a position on the stairs but the only other material you have to seat on is your notebook. You drop it to the ground whilst looking around surreptitiously for your classmates to sign the attendance register.

Meanwhile your sharp classmates who are not ready to undergo the torture had started the attendance outside of the hall. After filling the list, it is given to the lecturer. Your name isn't inclusive.

After this, you have to get to the Stadium for another class. The only 2 departmental classrooms you have are scheduled for other levels, so you guys have to use another venue - stadium in this case. That's like miles away from the GS class you just had attended but you have to go - good student and all.

The next class you have after these morning lectures is after 5 hours and that is by 3 pm and you are a resident at Off-Campus, one where the distance is very far and there is no transit going to and fro in that area. Hence, you are to remain in school till mid-afternoon for that class.

Another General course you take is in the Sciences. You know - every single other person in your Arts department know that they do not grasp the basics of the course and there's absolutely nothing in this world you will use the course for, but you keep going - it's a compulsory course afterall.

The period your class manage to have a slot in the Faculty Hall, it is clashing with another department, sometimes 2 or 3 departments and none of the lecturers are willing to give up their own time, neither is there any other venue to use. So, all the departments share the same hall in teaching, some with loud speakers - terrible moments.

When you finally get to your lodge late evening, you are exhausted beyond measure that revisiting the notes on what transpired during the day is the last thing on your mind. Sleep is calling, so you give in to your body.

The next day the cycle continues until exam period. The night preceding a new course, night class - la cram, la pour. You Move. On to a new year of recycling!

**

I have a lot of issues with school curriculum of Nigerian schools - Universities. But the one that pains me the most is the disorganisation in the academic Calendars. Other nations have a static couple of months of academic session, leaving the students ample time to go for programs, Internships, Fellowships - acquire experience prior to their final graduation. 

In Nigerian schools, the dynamics of the school calendar are far and in-between. There is no stable time/period that you can point to and say that "these are the months of schooling and the other ones, I can use and look for opportunities relevant in my field and gain experiences." 

Nothing. 

You are not sure of how the school calendar will bring out the next academic session to even begin application for anything the previous year. I say this cos I see lot of programs but the dates it falls on is either, I'm still in school by then" or "We'll most likely resume before the program ends."

But this same Nigeria system will expect fresh graduates to already have experiences to be employed in the labour market. 

A Curse, that's the summary of this country.