From experience, I can say being a student is not easy. Especially if you're a Nigerian. Talk more of you're in higher institution, believe me the struggle is real. When I see people seeking for admission today and doing all they could to secure one, one thing I think about is the fact that, are they really ready. I mean, not just financially, but also mentally, physically and all, because it can be very draining and tiring. Even though from the outside, it does looks simple, get admission, pay, do your registrations, attend lectures, read, exam's and then graduate. But when you finally get in, you see that it goes beyond all of that.
I studied agricultural technology, extension by option. And I can tell you for free that it is a very beautiful course. It is a course that's meant to be full of practicals, more reason why I went ahead to study it in the Polytechnic. But most of the time, instead of going to the fields, we learn on the board, the farms aren't anything to write home about, the labs lacks basic equipments. And while some lecturers did try their best to just find a way to reach us, take us out, visit places and make us understand, there are some who don't really care. Not to talk of the various strikes our higher institutions embark on, this week you had it all planned out and next week you see/hear news of the school embarking on indefinite strike, you suddenly find your academics out on pause, while bills, age, pressure and all remains on play.
The struggle of a Nigerian student is real, especially if you're as well from an average family, where you will have to worry about hostel fees, transport fees, handouts, school fees, feeding and all. There are a lot of times I go to class hungry, not because I don't want to eat, but there's just nothing to take, you return home in the evening or afternoon and go ahead to fast again or probably drink every students life saver(garri).
To put focus on your academics become a little difficult and you put in-between, because you as well cannot afford to fail. When you visit the school's library, you find out it is outdated, nothing worthwhile to read, and the most painful part is a lot of students are passionate about studying, but when they get into higher institution they find out that the system is not in any way encouraging.
And I think it's high time the system takes a glance at the educational sector. Teacher's and lecturers should be paid more, students should as well be supported and encouraged, our labs should be equipped, practicals should be done, school's should as well focus on teaching great skills, more scholarship opportunities should be given, every school healthcare system should be upgraded and many more are the changes that our educational system needs.
Even still, we keep on getting thousands of graduates every year, in a system that has little or nothing to write home about. Being a student shouldn't be this hard, education at it's inception was meant to build and shape us, not break us.
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Images are mine.
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