The Vice Chancellor,
University of Leeds,
United Kingdom

Dear Sir,
HOW DID WE GET HERE?

I trust you had a splendid summer vacation (if you did) or would have one whenever you decide to.

It is with great pains that I pen this letter to you, this Sunday evening in the confines of my kitchen here at Carr Mills, Leeds.

I have just completed my viva and other course work requirements for the award of an MSc degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Leeds. As a prospective student in 2015, I was attracted primarily to the University of Leeds because of the supposed diversity of its students’ base. Another reason was the fact that a great Nigerian and Nobel Laureate – Wole Soyinka had passed through the system. Having schooled at The University of Ibadan, it felt natural for me to follow in the footsteps of such a great literary icon.

I also remember spending a significant portion of my meagre monthly stipend from the Nigerian government as a “corper” purchasing data bundles to download Youtube videos on The University of Leeds. I remember your brief discuss on Youtube where you talked passionately about the University, its inclusiveness policy, its expenditure on research and cutting edge technologies, the beautiful pictures of top class laboratories, excerpts from interviews of some staff (academic and non-academic) etc., it was an electrifying experience. So, you could imagine the joy and wonder I had when I received news from the University of Leeds that Bleep would be sponsoring my postgraduate program (MSc) at Leeds.

I have been in Leeds for over a year now and as I prepare to go, I cannot but intimate you with how sad I feel “wasting” my time here at Leeds.

It was from the film titled “Accepted” that I got to know the purpose of education which is to stimulate the creativity of a person. Having schooled at Nigeria’s premier university and tutored by some of the finest crop of professors (graduates from Manchester, Imperial College etc.) Nigeria has produced, one expected nothing less from the University of Leeds. Furthermore, the self-taught approach model which the University of Leeds adopts and practices buoyed one’s confidence in the fact that the University was interested in scholarship and research.

The reality on ground was a far cry from the videos on Youtube. My first shocker was the fact that the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering had no smart grid Lab! We were deceived as a matter of fact by a lecturer who sent us on a wild goose chase around the University looking for the supposed smart grid Lab! I cannot forget the look of consternation on a Nigerian student’s face when we told him the reason for our endless, aimless and confused journey around the Immanuel centre and Laidlaw Library – the supposed “location” of the Lab as given by the lecturer. Not only did he rescue us from such fruitless journey, he further intimated us on the marketing strategy used by the University to attract students. We shrugged that aside thinking there was a mix up. Not until I had a discussion with the head of school at a party organised for MSc students and saw the look of non-concern on his face that I realised what was going on.

With lectures started as well as laboratory sessions, one continued to hope for some real deep intellectual engagement of the students by lecturers within the school. This however was not to be the case. As a student with bias for power and energy, one expected active research to be ongoing by lecturers. With the UK moving towards installing smart meters in every home by 2020 I had expected to see the University of Leeds taking centre stage in smart grid technologies and initiatives. I looked for any research by students or staff on demand side management, energy management systems, energy policy, advanced metering infrastructure, deployment of artificial intelligence tools in balancing demand-supply in the smart grid or isolating fault areas etc. I could not find any. Lectures were just monotonous and boring. No insight could be gleaned from most lectures as well as laboratory sessions. The whole process was just disappointing.

Together with the other Bleep scholars here at Leeds, we decided to engage in our own research. We were helped in no small measure by Dr. KKK. However, when it came to funding our conference trips, “No money” was the song. While the Leeds for Life Foundation (first trip) and our sponsors (both trips) came to our rescue, we were shocked that little concern was shown by the school for our conference trips. Huge amounts had been expended on fees not just for certificates, but for value also. We had expected some form of synergy between the industry and the School, it just did not exist. Aside from donuts provided during the industry dissertation lectures, no other form of engagement was to be seen. I now regret eating those donuts as I just might have mortgaged a promising future for donuts!

We had another cause for concern when the University denied us the opportunity to have industry based projects back in Nigeria with our sponsors (Bleep). The untenable reasons tendered bothered on health and safety and the general insecurity in Nigeria. This was the height of hypocrisy! The University finds it in my interest to do my dissertation here in the UK and quickly ship me back to Nigeria on completion of my studies not minding the insecurity in my country after completion of my studies. What an irony!

With examinations over and course works completed, dissertation became the next task. My project was research based as I was not interested in doing “irrelevant projects” which is basically what most projects are. I needed to task my brain and my supervisor Dr. KKK was very helpful in that. I would not bore you with the technicality of my project but would describe it as a policy medium that provides a platform for the incorporation of constraints from electricity regulators, electricity suppliers and electricity users. As a future smart grid initiative, I created a platform for weighting the constraints from these players and evolving a dispatch scenario that was optimal. Being a technical work, I had expected to be assessed by someone who was vast in energy management and artificial intelligence. However, my assessor displayed great ignorance from his assessment and questions during the viva.

The University is currently expending great sums in giving its campus a facelift. One wonders if this is not a case of the whited sepulchre as preached by Jesus in His sermon. Notable upgrades are currently ongoing in Edward Boyle Library, the Union, some part of the engineering faculty etc. However, within the engineering faculty, relevant investments in software for power and energy systems is lacking. Furthermore, hardware investments in smart grid laboratory equipment does not seem to be in view. One thus wonders the rationale behind the upgrades. If the campus is beautiful and the heads of its students empty, to what purpose therefore has been the upgrades?

Permit me sir to present to you some statistics of the University of Leeds in comparison with other universities – Cape Town, Nottingham and Imperial College. I want to draw your attention to the contribution of research to the overall ranking of the universities. Data presented in the table below is from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings

Table 1: Comparison plot for different universities from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings

University Year Rank Research
Leeds
12/13 142 48.6
13/14 139 38.2
14/15 146 39.1
15/16 133 39.0

University of Cape Town
12/13 113 45.5
13/14 126 31.0
14/15 124 35.3
15/16 120 38.7

Nottingham
12/13 120 50.8
13/14 157 36.3
14/15 171 35.8
15/16 143 39.0


Imperial College London
12/13 8 90.9
13/14 10 88.1
14/15 9 88.3
15/16 8 88.5

The University of Leeds has decayed within a short time frame that it now celebrates students’ satisfaction! We do not need aesthetics or shiny marble floors; we need contents in our brains! Sir, if aesthetics was the core during your years as an undergraduate/graduate student, I doubt you would have made the contributions you have so far made in your field. I am scared that I have been scammed. I have devoted enormous time to soul searching trying to unearth what values I have gotten from my sojourn here at Leeds and unfortunately, I am afraid to say none.

I understand that not every student must be held to the same standard of reasoning as myself. Also, I have no doubt that some students there are who have a higher standard of reasoning than myself. However, the University has an obligation to provide an enabling environment that caters for every student hence the admission process.

A new session is about dawning and I despair and sigh as I see the excitement and happy looks on the faces of new comers. I hope they realise what is obtainable at Leeds? I hope they are capable of being self-motivated? I hope they have a clear definition of what they want and how to get it? I hope they realise that the University might not have their interest at heart? I hope they realise when it is not too late? I hope they realise that the industry expectation from them is beyond the grossly inadequate and unprofitable class sessions all designed to mask the inadequacy and dereliction in the system?

I am not writing this letter out of frustration as a student here at Leeds. If anything, I am no doubt among the top 5 students within the school of Electronic and Electrical Engineering. With distinctions in all my coursework (and average score bordering around 80%) and an obvious distinction score in dissertation, I believe I know what I am saying. Furthermore, I am talking from an informed point of view having visited universities in the United States of America, Canada and Europe. My desire to see the University of Leeds take a prime spot in the comity of universities is a primary reason for this letter.

As I conclude, one is reminded of the words from Solomon Ortiz that “education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students”. I wonder what impact my lecturers can say they have made in my life here at Leeds.

Sir, I hope I have not bored you with this long letter. Let me leave you with the words echoing in the background from the music titled “Professor Johnbull” by Flavour a great Nigerian musician.

Professor tupiyaama nzunefii “atti’imela”
Professor swoolumu oyibo “atti’imela”
Don’t be seliouskwa juju on the way “atti’imela”
Don’t be kwako gbukata ko kwu’nkwu “atti’imela”
Erudite professor swoolumu oyibo
Erudite professor asinmu swoolumu ngiri
From village to bostoo orgbum footuball kogbinu
Voice of the people nnu
Professor swoolumu oyibo


Yours faithfully,
YYY
(2015/16 Bleep Scholar at The University of Leeds)

For previous posts:
https://www.nairaland.com/3857554/revolt-against-constituted-thinking
https://www.nairaland.com/3855295/search-common-sense
https://www.nairaland.com/3855288/thank-sir-brain
https://www.nairaland.com/3851707/excuse-me-sir-look-stupid
https://www.nairaland.com/3851270/youths-might-sense

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Unbelievable reality