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A lot has changed since coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. And the world has had to adjust its way of life in an attempt at preservation. Recently, the NUC ordered the closure of all universities across the country. With students now at home, we thought to ask a few of them how they feel about this.
Joshua, University of Nigeria, Nsukka
It’s a smart decision for sure. If students remain in school, the management will have to create a rigid system of movement control, which can’t be 100% effective. And if the virus should enter the school, it will spread like wildfire because of the ways students interact. Besides, people can take care of themselves better at home. I expect the school to be closed for as long as the coronavirus outbreak is a threat. Online classes will be good right now, but I doubt if it will work because a lot of lecturers have no idea how it works. I would be pleasantly surprised it happens, though. Anyway, I’ve brought my books home with the intention of studying, we will see how that goes. The most important thing to do now is to stay safe and be productive.
Tomisin, Babcock University
I’m sad that they have to close the school. When the first case of coronavirus in Nigeria was confirmed, the school management banned anyone from entering or leaving the school premises and they tried to push up the exams. Unfortunately, the whole thing escalated and they had no choice but to ask everyone to go home. I’m not happy about it but I understand. The school is working on setting up online classes. They’ve sent us an email, informing us to sign up on the platforms. That’s a good alternative, but it can’t replace physical classes due to a lot of factors. I fear that that the schools could remain closed for up to six months, and that will mess a lot of things up. It may affect my graduation date, which will be weird because it has never happened in the history of the school.
Martha, University of Uyo
I’m down with the decision to close the schools. For once, the government and universities are being proactive. I was in the school area yesterday and I see all the work being done to restrict movement. The closure is changing a lot, though. We were supposed to start writing exams this week, but unfortunately, that won’t happen anymore. I’m hoping that schools will be reopened in a month — I still want to graduate soon as I can. In the meantime, I’ve brought my school books home, so there will be a lot of studying. I’m also hoping to learn something new. And most importantly, I will try not to panic. That said, I hope people are washing their hands, staying at home, and practising all the safety precautions.
Kizmat, Lagos State University
It’s definitely a good decision. I can’t think of a better way to control the spread. I think this buys us some time until we figure out what’s going on. I know the only place I’d like to be at the moment is home. And I don’t think I’m leaving until a solution is found. When the government figures out a way to limit the spread of the virus, we can talk about opening schools again. Until then, I’d spend more time on the internet than I usually do, watch movies, sleep and probably read too. Who knows?
Also, I believe everyone has a role to play in controlling this virus and support the government’s efforts. The best we can do is to stay at home. And also we should try to educate people who are ignorant about the severity of the situation. We all should stay safe.
Femi, University of Lagos
It was a good call. With the way coronavirus spreads, a single case in a school environment will be catastrophic. I don’t expect them to recall us until there is a cure, or at least, an effective way to control it. It’s that straightforward. The only fear I have is that this break will affect the results of students when schools eventually reopen because the calendars will be accelerated and students will have a hard time easing into academics. If there were online classes facilities, which would ensure that learning goes on in some capacity, this might not be a thing. For me, I’ve registered for three online courses already, so I believe these will keep me busy for the next two months and I will have new skills to show for it.
Group assignments are chill or nightmares, depending on the student you’re asking. These assignments involve students with different personalities to band together and work. This is a list of students you’re likely to find in a group.
The enthusiastic group leader
They always want to be the group head, like they’re getting paid for it. The assignment is theirs to do, as far as they’re concerned, and they carry it on their head as if they would die if it isn’t done.
The confused member
They never get what the assignment is about. The first question they ask at every group meeting is “What’s the assignment about again?” in its many variations.
The hater
They condemn everybody’s contributions and ideas, but the thing is they never make any. They are just there to disrupt the progress of the group.
The noisemaker
These people think they’re helping, but in reality, most of what they say has little value. They are just words.
The sulker
Their heart is in a good place and they think they have a lot to contribute, but when their idea is rejected, they don’t take their L calmly. Their energy changes and they start sulking.
The unassuming genius
They are usually quiet and listen to everything that goes on during the group meetings. But when they speak, their ideas are absolutely bang-on. They are usually the saviours of the group.
The Ghost
They don’t attend the group meetings or make any contribution. However, you will see them on the presentation day.
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Your life as a student is an overload of assignments and projects, crippling your desire and plans to live your best life. Group assignments can be pretty chill sometimes, but at other times, the odds will be against you and you wonder if the grades are worth the trouble.
1. When you find out that you don’t talk to anyone in your group
What’s all this?
2. You, when someone asks you to be the group leader
Are you okay?
3. You, when the appointed group leader starts collecting names and phone numbers
Relax now, you’re not getting paid.
4. When you see that you’ve been added to a new WhatsApp group
Oh God!
5. You, toying with the idea of leaving the group
What’s the worst that could happen?
6. When everyone in the group has something to say about how to get the work done
Will you keep quiet?
7. When the group leader schedules a meeting for the weekend
Why are you so wicked?
8. When they start talking about everyone contributing money
Just kill me
9. When you see that other groups are more organised than yours
How did I find myself here?
10. When everyone suddenly takes the assignment seriously three days before the deadline
All of you are stupid.
11. You, when you see someone who didn’t come for any meetings during the presentation
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When you tell anyone you’re studying English, their first response is to say that you are doing a very simple course. Some of them might even imply that you are wasting your time because there are other interesting courses you can study. What a very wrong thing to say. This is a list of (some of) the frustrations faced by English students. The next time they complain, you will know that they have a valid reason to complain.
1. The list of texts to read for each course in one semester.
It never ends. 15 books for this course, 8 books for that course, 10 poems for the other course, short stories for that course. A total of 39 books for one semester. Please, how will I tell the characters apart?
2. When you feel like you’ve written heaven and earth in the exams and you still end up with a carry over.
Ah. After all the effizzy in my script? After the Alhamdullilahi and prayers I put on my script?
3. When your lecturer is trying so hard to derive meanings from a thing that looks meaningless to you.
“The character drank garri because she was broke. Not because her mother-in-law called her a witch. That’s what me I feel oh, but it is automatic failure if I write it in the exam.”
4. Decoding the rhyme scheme of a poem that seems to have no rhyme scheme.
Surely surely, this poet is cursed.
5. When you receive your reading list for the semester and it is filled with books of 400+ pages.
Books by Thomas Hardy, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens are sitting comfortably on this table.
6. Stylistics, Syntax, Pragmatics, Semantics, Semiotics, MAK Halliday, Stanley Fish, Tree Diagrams, Received Pronunciation, Consonant Chart, we could go on.
Just one word for all of them: sorrow.
7. ALL the literary theories.
Psychoanalysis, Feminism, Formalism, Ecocriticsm, and all the other -isms that were made to frustrate English students.
8. And then after all these things, someone will open their mouth and say, “What is in English? Is it not just parts of speech?”
May the fire of heaven consume that your rubbish mouth.
Students in Nigerian universities have stories to tell, but hardly anyone to tell them to. For our new weekly series, Aluta and Chill, we are putting the spotlight on these students and their various campus experiences.
This week’s subject is Mariam Adeleye. She talks about how ignoring her mental health affected her academics and how she was asked to withdraw from her first university.
Tell me about how you got into school
I wrote JAMB in 2015 and went for University of Lagos. The original plan was to study medicine and surgery. It didn’t seem UNILAG was going to happen, so I changed my preferred school of choice to University of Ibadan. I made the supplementary list and was offered Medical Laboratory science.
I wasn’t really triggered by the fact that I didn’t get medicine. At that point, I was more determined to get into a school, even if it meant that I wouldn’t get the course I wanted. MLS wasn’t medicine, but it was close.
Did it get off to a good start?
Unfortunately, no. A lot was going on at the time. My grandmother was buried a day before resumption, so I went to school straight from her funeral. I wasn’t in the best state of mind. On my first morning at school, I woke up feeling numb, lost and unsure of what to do. It felt like I was going to be sucked into oblivion. I could have used some guidance there, but there was none. Yeah, it was a rough start.
I’m so sorry about that. How did you navigate the feeling of helplessness?
My first roommate had everything figured out, or so it seemed. She had been in school before I came, so she walked me through the basics — registrations, medicals, and classes. From there, I met other people, and slowly, I began to settle in. However, it wasn’t enough.
What do you mean?
Family issues. My uncle, whom I was close with, was very sick and was on the verge of dying. It was tough to handle that. Perhaps the biggest thing I was struggling with was the pressure to be the best I could be. I’m the first child and the only girl in my family. Standards had been set for me and I was expected to meet and surpass them. It wasn’t fun at all. I don’t think I handled all of these things the right way. I disassociated from people. I was always in class without being there. Also, I had concentration and memory issues. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get a break.
Did it get better, though?
For a brief period, it did. I became friends with a guy and it seemed like I could actually do this uni thing and make it out in one piece. But that didn’t last for long. I realised that I was beginning to develop an unhealthy attachment to him. I’d been so alone for a long time that when he came along, he was the only person I wanted to be with. I recognised how dangerous that could be, so I took a step back from him.
Anyway, I saw my first semester results and they were terrible. I actually thought it was a mistake at first because I didn’t think I could do that badly. It didn’t help that everyone had access to my CGPA. There’s this document in UI — Book of Life — where every student’s CGPA is compiled before it’s presented to the university senate for consideration. It’s supposed to be confidential, but it leaks every semester. So everyone knew how bad my grades were. It was tough dealing with people coming to me to ask about what was wrong. It’s not like they cared, and even if they did, I didn’t need their pity.
Aww. How did you attempt to bounce back?
Again, I pulled back from people. Not necessarily because I wanted to be a studious student, but I didn’t want a repeat of the first semester when everyone was hitting me up to ask if something was wrong. I was fighting for my life now and I thought I could turn everything around. It did get better, but at the end of the semester, my CGPA wasn’t enough to keep me at the department. I was advised to withdraw from the department and was transferred to Zoology.
Whoa! That sucks. I’m sorry.
Telling my parents was the hardest part. I’d disappointed them. They thought I’d lost my chance at studying a “good course.” I remember my mum telling me about how much she cried. Getting kicked out of the department was a dreadful confirmation that I was mediocre and wasn’t cut out for anything good.
I believe you know that’s not true. How did you find the new department when you transferred?
Not good. It wasn’t a bad department but I didn’t think I should be there. My second year was the worst period of my university experience. For the most part, I was trying to convince myself that I liked the department when in actual fact, I didn’t. My mental health took a turn for the worse.
Man!
I tried to take everything a day at a time, but that did little to help. Then the suicidal thoughts started to streak in. It didn’t seem like I had what it took to live.
OMG. That’s a lot. Did you talk to anyone about this?
Only my boyfriend at the time. He was the support system, even though he wasn’t in Ibadan. I got through a lot of stuff because of him.
I didn’t end my life, obviously. However, my quality of life or academics wasn’t better. My grades were still in shambles. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how bad they were until the middle of the second semester. This was my second chance at redeeming myself and I messed it up again.
How?
At the end of my second year in 2019, I was advised to withdraw from the university. My time at UI was over.
Wow! That’s a lot.
Yeah, it was tough. The toughest bit was that I got to know that I’d been kicked out through the Book of Life. I ran to my level coordinator, course adviser, and HOD to see if there was anything I could do. Of course, they couldn’t help. It was final. I’d been sent out of the school.
How did you handle that and everything that came with it?
Not very well. I felt like shit. I had no idea how to tell my parents that I’d failed them again, so I kept it away from them. In hindsight, it wasn’t the brightest idea. My rent was still active, so I stayed in my hostel for four months. When my rent expired and I moved out, I had to tell them.
How did you confront them eventually?
I sent my mum a text and told her that I’d been kicked out of school and that I was suicidal. I couldn’t bear to look at them when I broke the news. My dad was livid and it wasn’t only because of the fact that I was out of school, it was also because it took me four months to come clean. They were disappointed that I’d not lived up to the expectations they’d built around my existence. Thankfully, they got over it quickly and focused on finding the fix.
What was the fix?
I decided to seek professional help about the state of my mental health. I was diagnosed with Recurrent Depressive Disorder. It means that every now and then, I would have episodes of depression and they can range from mild to severe.
Bruh! What did it mean for you to find that out?
I had to accept it. It’s sad that it can’t be cured, the best thing I can do is to manage it. The littlest thing could set down a dark path. The idea that I would live with it all my life is something I still struggle to accept, but it is what it is. My parents thought it was something I could pray away — I wish it was that easy.
Nigerian parents and their belief in prayers.
Right? Anyway, it was good to figure that out. I knew what I was dealing with and how to manage it. This made a lot of things better. In November 2019, I decided that it was time to go back to school. In February 2020, I was accepted into a private university to study psychology.
I’m glad, but why did you decide to go to a private university this time?
My parents were the biggest deciding factor. They thought there was too much freedom in a federal university and believed I would do better in a more structured environment. Also, UI is one of the sane public universities and I couldn’t go back there. I didn’t know what I’d find in others, so it was easier to go for a private university where it is less likely to experience lecturers at their worst.
Fair enough. I think it’s interesting that you’re studying psychology now. Was there any particular reason for that?
It was because of what I had gone through with my mental health. I became fascinated with the idea of studying the human condition. Besides, I developed this drive for social activism and there is a branch of psychology dedicated to that. I’m right where I should be.
What’s it been like so far?
Pretty good. The school is small, which I like. It’s good for me. I find the classes interesting. The people I’ve met are nice. Things are good.
I’m glad. How do you manage your mental health now and stay in control?
I made the biggest control move when I decided to get help. That changed everything. I’m on antidepressants now — that helps to control the extremes of my mood. I’ve made the decision to do only the things that I enjoy. I’m determined this time to stay in control and that’s because I know that I’m in a better position to stay in front of whatever comes around. Also, and this is important, my therapist is only a call away.
Do you think an early diagnosis would have kept you in UI?
Yes, that could have changed a lot of things. I knew something was off, but I didn’t think to get help. Maybe if I had done that, I would have concentrated better. Maybe my memory wouldn’t have been so fucked up. Maybe I wouldn’t have dissociated myself from people. Maybe I wouldn’t have gotten kicked out.
However, I know that I made some mistakes. I should have involved my parents earlier. They had their faults too, but they are supportive. They’ve always been supportive. I should have told them what went wrong the moment it went wrong. But we move. I’m in a better place now and that’s all that matters.
Are you currently studying in Nigeria or elsewhere and have a story to share about your life in school? Please take a minute to fill this form and we will reach out to you ASAP.
Can’t get enough Aluta and Chill?Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series here.
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JAMB result 2020 is out and it’s easy to guess that some people somewhere are struggling to control their nerves. Since we’ve all been there, this is a good time to do a post on how the release of the JAMB results messes with everyone’s mind. If you’ve written the JAMB UTME exam, chances are that you went through something that’s similar to this.
1. When you are living your best life and someone calls you to tell you that JAMB has released its UTME result
Hay God!
2. When you feel how fast your heart is beating
Calm down now!
3. When you remember that the computer system went off for a few minutes during the exam
But my parents won’t understand this.
3. You, trying to remember if you went back to the question you skipped
How many questions did I skip sef?
4. When you remember all the veiled threats you’ve heard from your parents
Will they send me out of the house if I fail this exam?
5. When you realise that the worst-case scenario is that you will stay home for another year
But I won’t die if I spend a year at home.
6. You, hitting your friends up to confirm if they have checked their JAMB result
Please, what did you get?
7. When your parents ask you if you’ve checked your result
You people should relax now.
8. When you‘re ready to check the result but the JAMB website won’t load
This only means that I have failed.
9. When you finally log into your profile and click on the check result page
Please God!
10. You, looking at the screen as the page takes its time to come on
Do fast now!
11. When you finally see your results and you got more than 200
Dia Fada! JAMB 2020 result is a goal!
12. When you tell your parents you passed and they tell you to start preparing for Post-UTME
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Nigerian lecturers are experts in different ways to humble their students. A trick that is as old as time, but works every damn time requires only 5 words — “Tear a sheet of paper.” This is followed by chaos, and they stand at the centre of it, content with the sheer volume of power they wield.
It’s usually not funny to the students, and these are some of the common ways they react to this tough time.
First, loud cries fill the hall
The first sound that would envelop the otherwise quiet lecture room is a uniform gasp from the students, trying to process the shock. What everyone came for was a one or two-hour class — an impromptu test wasn’t a part of the deal. So, the students fill the room with loud cries, hoping they would be strong enough to make the lecturer change their minds.
Followed by protests
If the cries weren’t enough to change the lecturer’s mind, a large chunk of the student try to take on the “hard-guy” role and protest the lecturer’s decision to give them a test. It’s the classic “don’t push us to the wall” move, only that it doesn’t work.
Then they grumble under their breath
Now that it’s sure that the lecturer is not about to back down, the noises die down a little and the students start to fume under their breath and complain about how vile and vicious the lecturer is. Of course, no one is brave enough to say this loud enough for the lecturer to hear
Now, they consider their options
Some section of the students takes a moment to think about the best way to deal with this. There is usually a temptation to stand up and leave the lecture hall, but again, nobody is brave to do this. No good will ever come out of that, especially since you’re dealing with a Nigerian lecturer.
Accept Defeat and tear that sheet of paper
The first sign of defeat comes when everyone starts asking for a sheet of paper. There is no way to get in front of this anymore, so everyone just resigns to their fate. Nobody has ever died from failing a test.
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A lot of us can say we finished from so-so school with so-so grades. But how many people are bold enough to say they cheated? okay, maybe not all the time, but at least once in a while. Here are some cheating techniques we know you used in school. Don’t deny it.
1. Writing on a piece of paper and putting it in your trouser.
This one is a thing of the legends.
2. Keeping it in your Casio calculator.
The smart ones can slip a piece of paper between the cover and the calculator. The genius can save formulas in the calculator. It’s a wonder how.
3. Did you put your maths set to good use?
That is, did you smuggle answers into the hall with the paper contained in the maths set? After all, they never checked the maths set. Just asked you to open it and close it.
4. Or keeping it in your underwear because they’ll never check there.
The only trouble is when you’re trying to bring it out during the examination.
5. Writing on parts of your body.
This will forever be a funny method, sha. Because what will happen if breeze mistakenly blows your skirt? Fowl yansh go open be that.
6. Giraffing.
Just turn a little, a little, crane your neck small, and free answers don land.
7. Formation.
Just link up with your friends and let the answers circulate easily.
“Everyone at the back, stand up and raise up your hands.”
2) Cracking the funniest jokes in class.
Especially when the class is quiet. That’s when the jokes get funnier.
3) Not snitching and getting punished together.
Teacher: Who said that?
Backbenchers: *Crippling silence*
4) Never doing any assignment or even knowing about assignment.
When did they give us assignment? what assignment?
5) Being able to sleep in peace because you were covered by front seaters.
Lifehack.
6) Having an exclusive squad.
League of extraordinary backbenchers.
7) Gisting when a lecturer is talking.
Gist > Education.
8) Having a frontbencher friend to copy assignments from.
We all need a helping hand.
9) Not writing in class.
Because there are better things to do…like sleep.
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Unilorin on strike is something nobody thought would happen. But this is Nigeria, new things happen every day. ASUU declared a 2-week warning strike earlier this week because of their unending beef with the Federal Government, and for the first time in 20 years, the Unilorin chapter of the association complied with the directive and put a stop to all academic activities in the school.
We asked 6 Unilorin students what they think about this development and what it means for them. Here’s what they said.
1. Noah, Department of Anatomy
“It feels like we’ve been scammed. The only reason anyone comes to UNILORIN is because of academic stability. So, it doesn’t make sense that they’ve thrown that advantage away. We were all led here because of the stable calendar. We are clowns. “
2. Olatunji, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development
“Joining the strike wasn’t the right call. The university has always been proud of its academic stability, so it’s a shame that’s no longer a thing. The university’s reputation will suffer a blow, considering that her metric of excellence is tied to “immunity from strikes.”
3. Monisola, Department of English
“We didn’t see this coming. True, we knew that the school joined ASUU last year, but it was unclear if that meant that they would join subsequent strike actions. The school has a long academic stability record, but with this turn of events, it looks like that’s not guaranteed anymore, and of course, this will be felt deeply by the students. We are not used to this.”
4. Akinwale, Department of History
“I’m indifferent about UNILORIN ‘s involvement in this current strike, to be honest. It’s only for two weeks. However, it’s not cool that the present leadership of the UNILORIN chapter of ASUU has defiled a record the school has held for about twenty years. It feels like this will be the first of many strikes.”
5. Ope, Department of English
“I think it’s a good development that UNILORIN has joined the strike. In any struggle, you want to present a united front to bolster your prospects of victory. I will admit that it feels strange to experience this for the first time, but it is what it is. The only downside is that nothing will change.ASUU has been doing for a long time and their demands have not been met.So yes, it’s a waste of time.”
6. Femi, Department of Chemistry
UNILORIN’s involvement means that students of the university can no longer be sure of when they will graduate. This will change a lot. If the school calendar becomes unstable, there will be fewer numbers of applicants seeking admission into the school. That means lecture theatres will be less overcrowded, and there might be a considerable drop in the number of fresh students being advised to withdraw at the end of each session because of poor performance. That’s just me trying to see a silver lining.“
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