THEN AND NOW// THE EVOLVING STUDENT EXPERIENCE
THE GOOD DAYS I ENJOYED ON CAMPUS BACK THEN
In my department we do offer a course called fieldwork, this fieldwork was one of our major core courses when I was in school then, so you can never miss fieldwork for anything, fieldwork starts from 200 level to the final year. Apart from the stress, fieldwork is always fun
Fieldwork is when we go to different states to know the geological history of the area, take samples of rocks that existed in the past, and take them to the lab for analysis, this is always fun then because we get the chance to see everything we were taught in class, it is the practical of what we were taught in class, this time we get to mingle with each other, we call it camping, and most times it can last for a month or more and this period is always fun, we get the chance to speak to our lecturers, ask questions, also spend quality time with them and eat on the same table with them.
During this period there is no discrimination, we act as one because this is different from class work entirely, the school authority does sponsor our movements and also gives each student a feeding allowance for the period we are going to spend on the field, they are responsible for our welfare.
If you are a geologist then you can understand what I am saying about fieldwork, this period is always tedious though, but it is always fun for us, it is a time when all the ladies lodge in one room, and the guys do the same, we always make use of NYSC camp of any state we are visiting so that we can have space to move around before moving to our assigned area.
We enjoyed this privilege as a student then, we learned so many things and also learned how to operate different geological tools on the field, but in this era nothing like that anymore.
I heard that the department had to cancel fieldwork because of everything that is happening in the country, they do not have Ransom to pay to the kidnappers, so they teach the students in the classroom as theory, no more practical like the way they did for us.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE HAD TO FACE BACK THEN
One of the biggest challenges we had as students was the issue of pre-requisites, hmmm this pre-requisite made some students spend more years than they expected in school then, and some spend five to six years of four years.
Pre-requisite means if you fail one course and it is a pre-requisite that means you will not be able to register for those courses in the next level unless you pass the one you fail, in my department all our 200-level courses were pre-requisite which will hinder most courses in 300-level, people suffered for this issue then.
I was checking the school platform last year and I saw that they removed pre-requisites, they have a new vice chancellor now and he canceled everything called pre-requisite, I saw the video when he was addressing the students on the matriculation day and he said no more pre-requisites, they were all happy because people can not graduate at the exact year they plan for.
Though I felt devastated but also happy for them, I know what I mean by saying I felt devastated because I know a guy that doesn't graduate because of that issue, he spent more than six years because of pre-requisites and our lecturers are not nice at all, they prefer to be seeing your face every year writing the same course, I do not know why they derive joy in such attitude.
I will not say they should bring back pre-requisite because I won't gain anything from their downfall so I am happy they cancel that.
All the pictures are mine
This is my entry for this week's episode of hivelearners community prompt of #hl-w106e2 which is tagged "SCHOOLING BACK THEN"
I am sorry that you have to suspend the field work, I believe that many times that is where you learn the most. Now if it is done for personal safety issues there is nothing more to say. In my time as a student there were also prerequisites and if I did not pass those subjects I could not see higher ones. I thank God for having completed all my subjects and I was able to graduate quickly as an Administrator.
That pre-requisite deals with people then, you have to remain at that level unless you pass the course before you can move forward, I am glad that I wasn't a victim
Thinking about field work takes me back to those days in university. They would take us to typical villages to run surveys and that’s how some of us learnt to appreciate what we had. Just looking at the condition some of those villagers lived in would send you to tears but what could we do.
Sometimes when students are given things the easy easy they tend to relax. That’s the main reason why some schools implement such things like repeating students or even expelling them.
My dear, you have to thank God for who you are when you see other people living in a place like a forest without shelter, it is well
It’s sad, but such is life.
That is why our fingers are not equal
Your course of study really requires the field work and not only theory in the classroom. Such decision to stop is not too great oo, they should find a way of bringing it back biko..
If not graduates will find it difficult to practice the profession very well after school
I have known how prerequisite show students pepper in the university..glad I didn't have to go through that
Really, education today needs review
#dreemerforlife
The school is considering the safety of the students, the issue of security is too poor in the country I wish they could bring it back but I doubt it