LARRYDKING:


Students of Government Owned Universities should Deflate Their bloated Ego and Face Reality

By Adeniji, Olanrewaju

Gone are the days government owned institutions were the domineering citadels of higher learning in the country, such were times when education was cherished and celebrated by all and sundry. Affording to make the list of students of the then existing prestigious institutions make such person a demigod among his unprivileged peers. Those were days our institutions were know for standard, ethics and discipline. Somehow however, as standard began slipping away and being replaced by corrupt values and practices, it necessitated the advent of private owned universities to keep the government’s schools in check and to equally provide better and quality education for the middle and high class of the society which hitherto is the situation.

Since inception of private universities, the students of government owned ones have opined that they are more exposed and well trained to be fit for the Nigerian societal tasks than their counterparts in private schools. Some have equally argued that only serial jamb failures and spoilt children of the high and mighty in the society make their way into private universities in their quest to acquire cheap grades. However, students of government owned universities have failed to realise the striking difference between the conditions of learning of the two institutions. The education system has shaped the mind of the young Nigerian to believe undue rigorous hardship is synonymous to better learning condition conducive enough for understanding.


OAU, a school where maintenance culture was buried long ago, would have one of his students who has never enjoyed uninterrupted power supply for straight twenty-four hours across campus feels he is rugged and endearing than that covenant university student who doesn’t experience “power interruption” as far as he is on campus. The same trait wouldn’t be hard to find in that UNIBEN student who would queue endlessly for water in the hostel, he believes he is being prepared for the world outside the university walls and he’s better than that student of ABUAD who doesn’t understand what shortage of water means.

It’s more painful when you find a student of UI who takes solace in his professors never getting to award the ‘A’ mark, he says his professors award A only to God, ‘Bs’ for geniuses and ‘Cs’ for the extremely hardworking students. He failed to realise it’s only in this part of the world lecturers find joy in dishing Fs and Es to remain revered and worshiped by their subjects who are unfortunately the receiving end. He simply takes on a BOWEN university students telling him how much he would have failed and never graduate under his professor.


One may want to argue that the lecturers in government schools are equally the one being paid as visiting lecturers in some privates but on closer observation, it is seen that state of the art equipment in privates are better managed by these lecturers and knowledge is better impacted conveniently in those schools.

The average Nigerian students prides himself in the debased system of learning and is totally resistant to change. The universities are a shadow of what they used to be and the instruments of learning are archaic and obsolete. This however calls for a complete reorientation of students in government owned universities. The era of blindly defending institutions should be rejected, ego wouldn’t but mar the already dilapidated institutions. You are definitely not better than that private university student because you get crucified every semester by hardship and labour, you’re simply not opportune to be in a healthier environment.

Adeniji Olanrewaju is a writer, political analyst and an undergraduate at the university of Lagos.

cc: lalasticlala

The things that make private uni above public unis in standard are many. Some of those things are:
1) Shorter period to study heavier workload in pulic uni. The average student in public uni has extra time to study redundant materials because of strike.
2) Sorting, cheating, blackmail and outright Grade falsification.
Come to think of the effects of grade falsification, you sort part of your workload, cheat to pass some, blackmail, as well as falsify grades through backdoor. At the end you barely earned 40% of your degree.
3) Buying of certificates. Think about those who buy their certs, will they go for a third class or a 2:1 ?
They go for the better piece of paper and start claiming they are equivalent of 1st Class in private uni. Pathetic.

Raise your own Ego first before telling us to deflate ours. I sense lack of Ego in your post. No hard feelings tho.

mercytripletz:

Raise your own Ego first before telling us to deflate ours.
I sense lack of Ego in your post.
No hard feelings tho.

The empty barrel wouldn't cease to amaze me. My problem is not ur ego, it's simply the emptiness breeding such undue ego in you.

Government owned institutions are truly a shadow of what they used to be. But how many Nigerians will be able to afford them if they standardize and increase tuition. When a local farmer suffers to manually till the soil and yields a bountiful harvest, its not ego when he boasts in the market with a mechanised farmer. Its grace!

Desyner:
The things that make private uni above public unis in standard are many. Some of those things are:
1) Shorter period to study heavier workload in pulic uni. The average student in public uni has extra time to study redundant materials because of strike.
2) Sorting, cheating, blackmail and outright Grade falsification.
Come to think of the effects of grade falsification, you sort part of your workload, cheat to pass some, blackmail, as well as falsify grades through backdoor. At the end you barely earned 40% of your degree.
3) Buying of certificates. Think about those who buy their certs, will they go for a third class or a 2:1 ?
They go for the better piece of paper and start claiming they are equivalent of 1st Class in private uni. Pathetic.

These are not really sound points, Covenant university alone does not represent the numerous private universities where the aforementioned are equally obtainable. Or how do we explain Davido's graduation with a 2 1 from Babcock? The difference majorly is one environment is more conducive for learning than the other.

ifegadinma:
Government owned institutions are truly a shadow of what they used to be. But how many Nigerians will be able to afford them if they standardize and increase tuition. When a local farmer suffers to manually till the soil and yields a bountiful harvest, its not ego when he boasts in the market with a mechanised farmer. Its grace!

I quite agree with you but first, we have to accede to the fact that there are matters of great significance that should rather be debated before showing some sort of superiority to students of school where knowledge is being passed using contemporary medium.

ifegadinma:
Government owned institutions are truly a shadow of what they used to be. But how many Nigerians will be able to afford them if they standardize and increase tuition. When a local farmer suffers to manually till the soil and yields a bountiful harvest, its not ego when he boasts in the market with a mechanised farmer. Its grace!

schools in Germany are free

LifeofClinton:
schools in Germany are free

We are talking about Nigeria in this contest. In reality with Nigeria's government, can education especially in tertairy levels be free? If indeed it could be, Religious schools should be bearing such mantle.

LifeofClinton:
schools in Germany are free

They're free because their government manages their resources well

ifegadinma:

We are talking about Nigeria in this contest. In reality with Nigeria's government, can education especially in tertairy levels be free? If indeed it could be, Religious schools should be bearing such mantle.

Leave religious schools out of it.

Let's look at it this way: Private universities admit all Toms, Dicks and Harrys as long as they can pay their exhorbitant fees. This doesn't apply to well structured government owned Unis where entry requirements are stringent and well defined..... Example: If u score 150, you are assured of admission in at least 70% of private universities in Nigeria whereas 220 doesn't guarantee ur admission in at least 50 percent of Federal universities in d southern part of d country.
In my opinion, the university is the last preparatory stage before an individual goes to the real world to face it all on his own(The real world is one harsh cold place). Now if you're spoonfed and protected from these harsh realities(As obtains in private unis), how do u face these realities when u eventually go into d real world? I attended the university of Benin and i can tell you it made me stronger and exposed me to many things i never knew and never would've known if i attended a private University.
Of recent, i decided to go for a 2nd Bachelors degree and i was given a choice to choose between a private Uni and a federal University.... Walahi i picked d federal option as it'll encourage me to work harder..... Private unis are for d lazy and rich spoilt kids who don't wanna compete with d very best.

Uzordrew:
Let's look at it this way: Private universities admit all Toms, Dicks and Harrys as long as they can pay their exhorbitant fees. This doesn't apply to well structured government owned Unis where entry requirements are stringent and well defined..... Example: If u score 150, you are assured of admission in at least 70% of private universities in Nigeria whereas 220 doesn't guarantee ur admission in at least 50 percent of Federal universities in d southern part of d country.
In my opinion, the university is the last preparatory stage before an individual goes to the real world to face it all on his own(The real world is one harsh cold place). Now if you're spoonfed and protected from these harsh realities(As obtains in private unis), how do u face these realities when u eventually go into d real world? I attended the university of Benin and i can tell you it made me stronger and exposed me to many things i never knew and never would've known if i attended a private University.
Of recent, i decided to go for a 2nd Bachelors degree and i was given a choice to choose between a private Uni and a federal University.... Walahi i picked d federal option as it'll encourage me to work harder..... Private unis are for d lazy and rich spoilt kids who don't wanna compete with d very best.

Especially when the real world in this contex is Nigeria

ifegadinma:

Especially when the real world in this contex is Nigeria

Abi o? Who nor go nor know

Lalasticlala

LARRYDKING:


These are not really sound points, Covenant university alone does not represent the numerous private universities where the aforementioned are equally obtainable. Or how do we explain Davido's graduation with a 2 1 from Babcock? The difference majorly is one environment is more conducive for learning than the other.

Davido graduated with a 2.1 in music and not engineering. If a successful musician/entertainer like him can't graduate with a 2.1 in music we should then query the relevance of the education sector.

LifeofClinton:
schools in Germany are free

Yea and taxes are about 45-50% in the same Germany. Nothing of value is really ever free someone must always pay for it. So tell me is any Nigerian ready to give up 50% of his income to achieve a full fledged socialist country.

Statsocial:

Davido graduated with a 2.1 in music and not engineering. If a successful musician/entertainer like him can't graduate with a 2.1 in music we should then query the relevance of the education sector.

You honestly think someone who gets booked for events the whole year and spend ample time having fun abroad is likely to graduate with a 2 1 because he sings? Graduating with good grades come with dedication, commitment and a lot more than catching cruise around. In some schools, not meeting 70% attendance disqualifies you from taking the exam. Remember, the certificate awarded wasn't honorary.

This is a good thread. Lalasticlala FP please.
At least lets have something cerebral on the FP

LARRYDKING:


You honestly think someone who gets booked for events the whole year and spend ample time having fun abroad is likely to graduate with a 2 1 because he sings? Graduating with good grades come with dedication, commitment and a lot more than catching cruise around. In some schools, not meeting 70% attendance disqualifies you from taking the exam. Remember, the certificated awarded wasn't honorary.

Well I can assure you that he would not have graduated from Covenant had he schooled there. If he was not expelled in 100 level he wouldn't make enough attendance to qualify for exams. So well I don't know what Babcock did with that. But I believe a course like Music should have some level of flexibility for someone like him to still excel-you know not all courses are about intense studying like law, engineering etc. I don't even think it would be appropriate to have so many written exams in such a department. It should be about creativity, expression, ability, art and skills.

LARRYDKING:


You honestly think someone who gets booked for events the whole year and spend ample time having fun abroad is likely to graduate with a 2 1 because he sings? Graduating with good grades come with dedication, commitment and a lot more than catching cruise around. In some schools, not meeting 70% attendance disqualifies you from taking the exam. Remember, the certificated awarded wasn't honorary.

The only problem I have and I may need clarification from BU folks is how Babcock came about that department? Was it custom made for davido as one of their Alumnus claims? If it was that would be terrible. But all in all i must tell you that unethical practices in higher education is more rampant in public uni than the exceptional(CU, AUN, BU, ABUAD, Landmark ) private universities, if it exists.

N.B I can only vouch for those five private universities. The rest are coming up and we would get to know the stuff they r made up for in years to come.

I really wanted to comment in the negative. Believe me I do. But am a freaking graduate with a cert in character and learning. So why should I argue with someone who had more than one opportunity to write an exam when he strikes a COV. All hail to those who graduated through the toils and all. Hail!!!!!!!!!