By Fikayo Ajayi
My name is Fikayo Ajayi, and as a finalist and a student leader, I am writing this open letter to the administration of the University of Lagos.
I’ll start by reiterating that it’ll remain impossible to be the nation’s pride with the manner in which the affairs of the institution are being managed. Even worse, the seeming disregard for the students – who ought to be one of the major stakeholders in this institution – is just pitiful.
The students see through the facade. Society sees through it. And no one that sees through it thinks of us as the pride of the nation. If anything, we’re becoming a national embarrassment, as reflected by our declining position in the latest university rankings.
Personally, I find it almost laughable, to put it improperly, that there is no proper communication channel between the school administration and its students. All we have is a dysfunctional Telegram group where students cannot even voice their opinions. I tend to believe this communication gap is deliberate – that there should be no clear and simple way for students to engage with management.
Consequently, the decisions made do not reflect student needs or interests. How, then, can we be convinced that our welfare is truly a priority?
Yet, this is not just about communication issues.
For the second consecutive time, the school management has raised obligatory fees, justifying this increase with economic realities and the high cost of running the institution, while promising improved quality of education. This is ironic, given the inclusion of fees that border on the fictitious. For instance, why should I, as a finalist, continue paying for an ID card that was issued once and has long expired? What is the justification for this? Is this also a function of economic realities?
More troubling are the utility fees. This charge has increased by over 100% from last session, with the Vice Chancellor attributing it to a hike in electricity tariffs. Utility fees are compulsory and must be paid before course registration. Given the current circumstances, this fee increase is unjustifiable. I have three pressing questions for the Vice Chancellor:
1. The utility fee increase has been attributed to the hike in electricity tariff in the country. Are students the only consumers of electricity on campus? If not, how were these fees calculated, and what justifies this amount?
2. Despite widespread student dissatisfaction, it appears that most classes for the first semester of the 2024/2025 academic session will be virtual. If that is the case, why must we especially pay utility fees in order to register courses? Perhaps, regardless of the fact that we resumed virtually or not. I believe the school management owes students some explanation.
3. When did the school management decide that classes would be virtual, and why were students informed only days before the proposed resumption? Where is the sense of responsibility and accountability?
As a student whose academic performance has suffered due to an inefficient online learning system, I can confidently say that the University of Lagos does not have the capacity to run effective virtual classes. So why are we being subjected to this failed system, especially when obligatory fees have increased with promises of better education quality? Why?
Hostels are undergoing renovation, but we’ve been on break for 3 months. Why did these renovations only just start? Why were we asked to resume if the hostels were not ready? Many students have clearly expressed a preference for physical classes, hostel or no hostel. Why is the school management slow to act?
My frank opinion on this is that the school management did not plan adequately, and now students are suffering as they scramble to save face. It is unfair, unjust, and unkind. We deserve better.
I believe it’s only right that the school management establishes a transparent communication channel between students and authorities.
Furthermore, they must provide a definite timeline for completing hostel renovations and resuming physical classes. Two weeks into the proposed virtual lectures and the system has proven inefficient as expected.
Increasing obligatory fees while delivering substandard education is simply unacceptable.
Kind regards, a concerned student.
Fikayo Ajayi is the president of the Department of Biochemistry, University of Lagos.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Press Club.
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