By Hafsat Abdullahi Musa
Ahmadu Bello University popularly called A.B.U is sited in Zaria, kaduna state with two campuses; the main campus in samaru and the annex in Kongo.
The university is the number one seat of knowledge in northern Nigeria where it is situated, and the largest in sub-saharan Africa. Established on the 4th of October in the year, 1962.
The university is said to have the highest number of students in comparison with other universities. The total enrollment of students in the university for degree and sub-degree programs is reported to be about 35,000, drawn from every state of Nigeria, from Africa, and from other parts of the world. There are about 1,400 academic and research staff and 5000 support staff in the university.
The university houses twelve faculties namely: Administration, Agriculture, Arts, Education, Engineering, Environmental Design, Law Medicine, Pharmaceutical Science, Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, And social Science. A post-graduate school and 82 academic departments.
Meanwhile, with this academic capacity and knowledge base, it is too awkward for Ahmadu Bello University to be pasting the students’ results on the board in this digital era. This is the university adjudged to be “naturally ahead.”
Pasting the students’ results on the board seems to be a sign of weak ICT and insufficient online capabilities of the university apart from several disadvantages it has on the students emotional state. I believe that the university cannot afford to subject her students to unnecessary tension for the fair of unknown; unknown in the sense that they are emotionally tense up with the possibility of their friends knowing their academic weaknesses.
Some could go to the extent of stressing out and end up depressed when his/her shortcomings in academics could not be concealed, while managing the situation. Some students that cannot bear the brunt of academic failure end up committing suicide, because they feel that the authority has shamed them before their friends and coursemates.
However, I am not saying that the pasting of students’ results on the board is totally bad as it will encourage or prompt the students to work harder and perform better so as to have good grades, earn admiration, maintain good image and sustain cordial relationships. But the prestigious university like A.B.U is worth doing better than that. It is very calamitous for any student to experience depression in the face of academic pursuit, and saddening when it is caused by authority that could prevent such.
Furthermore, depression can affect one physically and psychologically. The psychological aspect weakens the expressive mentality of the carrier. He/she will be shy to express his/her feelings even to people that could help the situation. The physical aspect makes one look dumb and subhuman before the peers.
It could cause students to lose hope in academics while seeing others progressing with good grades. Self esteem and self encouragement disappears while good fortune has no room to prosper. The next thing to think of is to start indulging in intoxicants to help relieve the contaminated mind. Some female students could decide to have affairs with their male lecturers just to help have good results on the board as it is a show of the public.
Another disadvantage of using a board to paste the students’ result is that it creates temptation in those with bad results to tear out the result if it is not favourable. Certain students could destroy the result even before the arrival of others to prevent public shame. This would definitely affect others as the individual score might be torn.
As such, the need to embrace the use of online platforms (students’ unique portal) is inevitable. The Online Platform will be more efficient, acuity and world class standard.This would enable every student in checking their results with ease and in private without anyone knowing unless he/she discloses the grades to others.
Privacy is one of the most important aspects of human life.In this case, students need privacy of their grades so that they would have a peace of mind and know how to amend their weaknesses. Most students do not like exposing their scores to everybody except those they know, trust and could help them. Some students only mock the weaker ones while having fun in doing so instead of helping them out. But with the aid of an online platform; students portal, you only disclose the result/grades to people by choice.
Another significance of using a student portal is the fact that students should be able to check their results even while they are away from school. Results may be released anytime and as such students need not to travel or make a move to check their result. With the availability of gadgets or smart phones at students’ disposal, all they need to do is to login to their individual portal and check the result without any stress. This is stressless and reckoning the world standard as everything turns digital. I know that the use of an online platform could have challenges but no obstacle or challenge is insurmountable. After all, A.B.U recently used a student portal to upload their examination cards and it was successful at the end of the day despite the initial challenges. This is a great and welcome development which is the first of its kind in the history of ABU. If the great and ‘naturally ahead’ university could achieve that landmark, then the use of a student portal for the release of their result is very achievable.
It is my hope that the great institution would depart from the analog age or manure method of releasing the result and embrace the digital ver of doing things for the sake of convenience.
Hafsat A. Musa, a student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria writes from Kaduna, Nigeria and can be reached Via: hafsatamusa.25@
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