The Sun
Lagos State wears the toga as the nation's Centre of Excellence. But the students of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, have tales of woes on their lips. For several days, some students of the Adebola Adegunwa School of Communication, the satellite campus of the university, studied under tree shades at the popular students' relaxation centre, popularly called Abe Igi.
Our curious reporter sneaked in on the students and their lecturer, clustered under tree shades during an afternoon lecture. The illustrative photographs in this report tell the story better.
Despite the seriousness of the lecturer, our reporter observed the unpleasant distractions to the students caused by many unwanted guests frolicking with friends and vehicles noising around the area.
As the scorching rays of the sun tore through the leaves of the trees, some of the students turned their lecture notes to hand fans, with their handkerchief covering their dizzying heads. Investigation by our reporter revealed that the students were hurriedly relocated to Ojo main campus from the Ojuelegba satellite campus due to their increasing population. It was gathered that 100 level and 200 level students were transferred to Ojo campus in a frantic bid to save the situation.
The students had left Ojuelegba campus with high hopes that staying on the main campus would end their accommodation problem, but much to their chagrin, the reverse was the case. Like a bedraggled bird, they clustered under tree shades for both their morning and afternoon lectures.
One of the affected students, who declined having his name mentioned in this report, told Education Review that the management assigned one classroom, which was tagged a lecture hall, to both 100 level and 200 level students. The classroom, which was meant to serve both levels of students, could hardly contain 200 students". "It was not conducive even when we had the privilege of staying in the classroom.
We (200 level students) are about 250 in population but the hall can only take between 180 and 200 students. Another issue was that whenever the first year students have a lecture, we had no other classroom to use. Sometimes, we crashed into any available classroom in the Faculty of Arts, especially in English Department.
But on most occasions, we had to make do under the trees when the classrooms are occupied by other students", he said. Investigation by our reporter revealed that only 100 and 200 level students were moved to Ojo campus, while the 300 level and 400-level were left in Ojuelegba Campus.
Worried by the dearth of classrooms at the main campus, it was gathered that the 200 level students were asked to resume the new semester at the satellite campus for the 300 level programme. Another student, Jenny, expressed anger that undergraduates could be allowed to study in such an undignified state.
She said: "Having classes under the tree in a university of this era and age is a pitiable situation that depicts the pitiable status of the school. It is a pitiable situation because the school has not been able to provide some basic amenities for adequate and effective learning after even collecting such huge amount of money as school fees from the last intakes."
Another 200 level student, Yahya, described the situation as unfortunate. "While we were receiving lecture under the tree, many were smiling but actually, it is a suffering and smiling situation. The students were smiling receiving lecture under the tree but we are suffering. It is not cheering at all to report that undergraduate receives lecture under the trees. It is so demeaning to the academic glory of any institution of learning."
Another student, Memud, urged the management to seek urgent solution to the situation so that the next sets of students won't experience similar challenges. Hear him: "I would say the fault should be credited to the school management because they had promised at the implementation of the high school fees that they would improve the standard at which education is being laid out to students.
If all these programmes have been put in place, they would have been something to write home about." Our reporter also sought the comment of the Public Relations Officer of the university, Dr Sola Fosudo, who described the report opf having lectures under tree shades as spurious, negative and unfounded. "There are adequate classrooms and lecture halls in Lagos State University. I repeat, there are adequate classrooms.
I can beat my heart and tell you that", he said. Fosudo insisted that no lecturer would teach under tree shades, noting that group works, tutorials, workshops or rehearsals could be held anywhere on campus. Although the school's spokesman denied the report, other students told our reporter that they were suffering in silence.
Emboldened by the quick response of the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, to issues on education, they pleaded with Campus Square to make their cry be heard in Governor's Office, Alausa for a brighter rewarding future for the university.
Boodogay 007
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