The overall performance of an average Nigerian student depends on the learning faculties and environment; other external factors are pretty minimal compared to the issue of facilities. However, a particular deficit in the learning facilities has eaten deep into our educational sector in various institutions across Nigeria. Still, for the sake of this article, I would be picking the Ladoke Akintola University Of Technology as my case study.
As earlier stated, the facilities of a school impact all the learning processes and the mental, physical, and moral growth of the students. It equally harms the student’s academic performance.
This deficit is causing more harm and no good in our institutions; LAUTECH is not an exemption!
FACILITIES PROBLEM OUTLINE;
- Lecture theaters.
- Laboratory.
- ICT.
- Health center.
Lecture theaters.
LAUTECH has six famous lecture theaters, namely; 1200LT, FPAS LT, SIFAX GROUP LT, MKO LT, 1500 LT (for pre-degree ), and FAG 1000 LT. While several of the departments have classes, the size is small compared to the number of students. Six large lecture halls for ten faculties on a campus with over 30,000 student population. One’s imagination doesn’t have to be wild to imagine the collision that happens in most of these lecture halls. Most times, lectures are canceled when ODL students are already using the hall for exams, or some other set of students are using the hall.
Imagine the mental stress of coming to school just to be disappointed the lecture would no longer hold because the lecture hall is unavailable. Not to leave out the fact that most of these halls are not even conducive for learning. No sound system. If you can’t come to class early to secure a seat at the front, you would barely have a thing to prove you attend class on that day. Talking about the chairs and desks, they are nothing to write home about. If you’re not careful it will damage your wears no matter how expensive. Tell me how a learning process will be duly impacted when the atmosphere is not even conducive? Lack of good learning facilities is an eyesore that has eaten deep into our educational system, and it has to be taken seriously and attended to with immediate alacrity!
Laboratory.
Oh, our dear laboratory. Even though the name LAUTECH carries “School Of Technology.” It is a pity that we dwell more on theory than practical; how sad and pathetic! Our laboratories are in shambles and a total mess, that do not depict what we stand for. Tell me the essence of practical laboratories when in most cases, students do more of copy and paste practical; how sad! Many of the practicals and experimental lab structures only looks good on the outside, they lack good and efficient materials for student use.
While in 100L, I only used the knowledge from secondary school to fix most of my practical questions because we don’t even get the chance to delve into the practical per say; you want to know why? Our population exceeds the number of apparatus. Therefore, we enter in batches. How pathetic! This issue didn’t stop at 100L; even when we proceeded to our different departments, we are still faced with the same challenges. For how long will this continue? Practicals are very essential the same way theory is. If a doctor undergoes a series of practicals before being called a certified doctor, I feel the same should be done to agric students, SLT, MLS, Chemistry, Biology, and the likes. Their practical life must be sound and solid before being certified in their field. Enough of theories we can’t put into good use in place of practicals.
This opinion story has been published on PROUDLY LADOKITE with very minimal editing to preserve the original voice of the author. All views or opinions belong to the author.
