THE ONE ON ONE ENCOUNTER UPDATE WITH THE VC- Jinadu Oluwatobi A,

As promised yesterday, this is the report of the updates from the VC as said on Friday, 10th Aug. in his office at Lagos Study Center.

Our approach from the outset was to meet the VC to help accept our application for space in the study center for intensive once in a month lecture for the students.

However, this he said was not possible but fortunately, he gave advice and steps to take to make some ouf our goals come alive.

The opportunity was however used to ask me of other questions and inform him of other compaints by the student.

We have hereby reached our conclusion to help each amd every students achieve the best through online and offline study group and the VC acknowledged this.

*However, this will be a paid service.*

Below are few points to note regarding our encounter with the VC, Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu.

1. LECTURING SPACE IN THE CENTER

The VC has made known that for every state, there are facilitators,(of over 1500) available with their individual space in each study center.

But the use of space by students themselves for lecture purpose won't be possible since NOUN is an open university and this will make other students in order states see this as being partial.

The truth in effect, is actually that there is not enough space that can accomodate all students.

The only option is when facilitator makes an informed notice ahead, on revision of some courses, where he then can make use of the space allocated to him... but will only occupy few students.

He therefore urged that we search for these facilitators as they are best fitted, if available, since the least amongst them are Doctorate degree holder.

All others are professors.

We therefore reached our conclusion to play our part on it.

2. NON APPEARANCE OF TMAS AND PAST QUESTIONS IN EXAMS.

We made known of our revision group and the materials used, he laughed and in a simple sentence, he said: _The School is developing._

If the school grow to the standard expected, we should not expect that questions be repeated.

This simply denotes that the administrators are not serious and that the leaders are lazy.

If NOUN must be a pace setter and grow to be a standard open university like in other countries, we have to be able to prove our certificates and not see NOUN as center of 'just get certificate and go.'

No more repeatitions and no one, not even can say what anyone can face in the exams.

He said they are aware that questions get leaked and there are spies available to note them of leaked questions.

Hence, they have resorted to 'throwing' the entire course materials to the system for it to juggle out questions from the set of question bank programmed on it.

Hence, questions for each student varies and no one can say actually what questions he/she will face.

One can only be lucky to find few related questions but all past questions have been re-juggled to new ones, hence no direct repeatition of questions.

3. BULKY COURSE MATERIALS!

We told him... 'Sir, you are aware that NOUN is "work and learn", hence most students are expected to be busy, barely having time to read, how then do you expect that they read in detail course materials so bulky like The Good Study Guide?'‍♂️

His response... *"You people paid for it!"*

Our payment is intended for the best and the best is expected to be given.

If you were given simple small course materials, the next complain will be _'is this what I paid for?'_

This small booklet that I can easily go online to download...and this NOUN collected 2500 for this course ooo... and the likes( of such complaints).

Hence, what they do is get the best lecturers they can from the best schools and restrict them within a minimum of two weeks in a hotel, pay for their expenses and give them the opportunity to gather heads, come together and create a substantial and extensive course material that will be relevant for the students, not only for academic or exam purpose but also applicable in real life and other educational sectors.

And this is why i

t is no longer news that NOUN course materials are being used by other lecturers in other universities.

All these lecturers have the least of doctorate degrees, most are better professors with extensive experience in their fields.

4. ERRORS IN COURSE MATERIALS 

We also made known the fact that some course materials contain errors such as typographical errors and the likes, at this, he said the management is aware but that the errors still are not totally out of context and hence, are still within limits.

However, the School has plans to avoid that in upcoming materials.

5. ALL THESE 'NEW DEVELOPMENTS', WE THINK, ARE ACTUALLY CAUSING MASS FAILURES.

At this, he said "No."

The point is most students are lazy, relies too much on AOC and some don't follow due procedures.

In the aspect of reading course materials, he gave an experience that once when he taught a number of 150 students above in the master's level, he bluntly told them that in their exam, there would be two questions... one from his lecture note given to them and the other from the book he gave them.

1a from lecture note

1b from the book.

Guess what?

Not one of the over 150 students answered question 1b!

What does this mean?

They don't care, they don't read, they just want pass!

And we all know what happens when you settle for little... you get even less!

He also mentioned the experience of a woman in the master's level who claims to pass than the given score... only to realise later after the investigation that she actually wasted her time herself. 

For when exam started, she was busy going fro her car helter skelter, gathering some stuffs and claiming she forgot some things but by the time she settled to write, she had limited time.and this lead to her low score.

This and many more are other methods students ignorantly and consciously waste their time, only to later blame it on the school.

No one marks anyone low... no one has intention to fail anyone.

He concludes that the new development has rather gained the school awareness that it's standard, hence, strengthening its certificate and earning international recognition, plus the facts that they've been recording good number of passes and excellence from the students despite the new development.

The point he laid emphasis is on is that if students create the time for study and follow through, notifying the facilitators of their shortcomings, they will have no problem with the school and its administration or new development.

6. SOME COMPUTERS ARE PROGRAMMED TO MARK WRONG AND LOW

We made him know that there are rumours that some computers are actually programmed to mark students low.

All he said is "No, beware of scammers!"

He emphasized that the school has no intentions to fail anyone for any reason whatseover, and all allegations of programming computers to marl people wrong is actually an excuse and methods adopted to dupe students. 

He even went on to make known that even POP exams are not marked in the states they are written and are actually transferred to other states just like WAEC and the likes, so all markings are actually done according to what is written in the course materials.

No one has intention to fail anyone or any set of students.

His candid advice was that we sit tight and embrace the new development for our own good.

7. OTHER ADVICES.

We can always get centers ourselves if we search for weekend lectures and even go ahead and invite craftsmen around us or any other experts in any skill to train us on entrepreneurship or whatever course or skill to make us more relevant on our own with or without school and even make us more employable, after school.

This though, might cost some amounts of money, but he made know that he is aware of some set of students in Kano state whp are doing this and hence, are doing fine as students, without the strains of vain work schedules which gives neither enough time and money, nor does it give the space to excel in our various academic pursiuts.

He therefore, acknowledged that whatever we embark upon within this limits, although they might not recognize u

s publicly, due to some administrative purposes, they however, are in real support and awareness of our good aims and intentions.

He therefore urged that we go ahead, for the earlier we start, the faster and better we go and grow.

TO NOTE!

Speaking with the HOD of the entrepreneurship department, he made known that the reason most lecturers or facilitators avoid facilitating classes for students is that students can and are very implicating.

Once you revise with them and the revision appears in the exam, which is expected to, (since it's from course material), the students goes ahead and procalims that the facilitator or lecturer helped them and gave them 'expo'.

Saying all sorts of things like _'ibi to ko wa gan gan lo jade_' (i.e where or what he taught us is actually what appeared).

And we all know what this mean, it could cause such person his source of income.

What will the students do afteewards? Nothing.

Imagine if one or any set of students did that and the lecturer is any one's parents here... the long term consequence can be very debilitating.

Hence, we have to be very cautious what we say, where we talk and who we divulge some things to.

This and many more have made us resort that to help us all, in order to achive our distinct academic _and career_ success... only the willing ones will be helped 

©Jinadu Oluwatobi A.,

TheAceGeneKing!