Amid the ongoing economic hardships in Nigeria, some students at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, are struggling to cope with an undisclosed schedule for their project defence.
Many students have expressed mixed feelings about how this uncertainty affects them, especially given the rising costs of essential needs, the time demands and other students’ daily activities requirements.
Sylvia Joseph (not real name), a final-year student from the Department of Plant Science shared her thoughts: “Indeed, our lecturers haven’t communicated anything about our project defence, leaving us in limbo.”
Sylvia believed that two main issues contributed to this menace. She noted that while some students haven’t completed their projects, others have not even started at all. This inaction likely stems from the lack of a fixed date for the defence.
“If the lecturers had set a date earlier, it’s possible students would have been more focused and motivated to complete their work on time,” she reacted.
“People are struggling; we’re tired of living in these difficult circumstances. I urge both the lecturers and students to do their best to aid this development,” she asserted.
Abubakar Muhammad, another student from the department of Plant Science expressed his frustration, “You can’t keep people in the dark and expect them to make progress.”
He emphasized that even a simple response from the department regarding the situation would provide some relief, but instead, there has been silence.
Yusuf Shola (Not real name) voiced his frustration about the lecturers’ lack of communication. “It’s disappointing that they haven’t addressed this issue. At the very least, they could provide us with a timeline or an estimated date for the defence so we have an idea of what to expect.” He said.
Review Process Often Cause The Delay – Dr. Mainasara
While speaking with PEN PRESS, Dr M.M. Mainasara, the Exam Officer of the Biology department, explained that several factors contribute to this issue. He noted that many students often do not begin their projects promptly.
“The department requires a reasonable number of completed project write-ups before we can invite external examiners. Additionally, most of us lecturers supervise over 20 undergraduates alongside postgraduate students while managing other responsibilities, such as postgraduate lectures and administrative tasks. This workload can significantly slow down the supervision process.” He added.
Dr. Mainasara concluded that the external examiners sometimes require more time to review the numerous projects submitted to them. This review process can take one to two months before they can schedule a visit, starting from the day they receive the write-ups.