'Sorting' on our Campuses

‘SORTING’: SOCIO-ECONOMIC VIRUS ON OUR CAMPUSES

Grammatically, sorting can be defined as an act that involves the arrangement of things into groups according to their common features or characteristics. On other hand, in respect to the above topic, it’s a way through which the tertiary schools’ students give what they have, either in kind or cash, in exchange for what they want or desire.

For many years now, this ugly trend has been occurring on our various campuses and has created a very big vacuum on our socio-economic platform. The cankerworm can occur through so many avenues based on the lecturer’s choice(s).

Most times, the concerned students would be ask to pay some certain amount through the Personal Assistant (PA) to the lecturer. Or, in some cases, the lecturer may decide to collect the money through the course/class representative (‘rep’). The method of disclosing the P.A, whom would definitely be a student at the higher level, to the students might be through a direct or indirect means. The lecturer may ask the concerned students or any student that happens to meet him for ‘sorting’ to see a particular student by disclosing his/her name, department and level to them. Or sometimes, if the lecturer wants to make a general and indirect notice, he’d never leave a class without mentioning the name of a student at the upper level as the best student in his course; on this note, the informed students would definitely like to meet the so-called best student with the interest of finding out the secret behind making a good grade in the lecturer’s course.

Then, the route through which the students dream would be actualized might take different dimensions after he/she must had paid the required sum of money; and such payment would be made few days after the exam has been taken. The exam would be written for the student(s) in absentia on a different answer script(s) by the PA(s) to the lecturer, after they (the problem students) must had sat for it during the usual exam period. The purpose of sitting for the exam is to ensure that his/their name(s) is/are written on the attendance list, and also, to avoid any future problem/query. In some cases, if there are insufficient answer scripts, the concerned students would be asked to steal some of the unused answer scripts at the examination hall during or immediately after the exam. This method of writing the exam on a different exam script is to make a tangible reference in future; peradventure, if any problem occurs, the lecturer could prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the students in question deserved the grade allocated to them. And, the advantage of this routine to the serious students is that, they’d stand to make the respective grades they deserve because other/their scripts would never be tampered, rather, the lecturer would take time to mark all the scripts. But if a lackadaisical lecturer is involved, he may decide to allocate excellent grades to the students that had sorted for his course, without rewriting the correct answers on different answer scripts in their respective names, thereby allocating any low grade of his choice to other (the serious) students without minding to mark their scripts or any script whatsoever. In this methodology, the so-called lecturer would only participate in what could be regarded as a rough marking without considering the consequence of his actions. Such lecturer may only not be seen as an unserious staff, but also, ought to be seen as a callous person.

Secondly, sometimes a corrupt lecturer may decide to delay the students’ results before forwarding them to the apt quarters, or in some occasions, he might give an excuse that, the results are missing. By so doing, the students would be propelled to meet him either individually or collectively, or better still, through the course ‘rep’. in the process, the students would be informed that, their performances were very bad; on that note, each of them would be asked to pay a certain fee to ensure that better and excellent grades are allocated to them.

Thirdly, lecturers filled with perversion end-up molesting their female students in order to sleep with them in exchange for a good grade in their respective courses. This aspect of ‘sorting’ has taken a new dimension at recent time; the lecturers don’t only molest or threaten the corrupt/indecent female students, but they go a long way threatening the decent (morally dressed) ones in their midst just for the purpose of reducing their ego. This’s extremely blasphemous and perilous.

Moreover, this (sorting) is no longer attributed to a lecturer that teaches/lectures a certain course but it’s also attributable to one (a lecturer) whom advises/counsels any of the classes of a particular department he/she belongs, or otherwise known as a Class Adviser. In some departments, the Class Adviser(s) upgrades a student’s GPA/CGPA as the case may be, after he/she must had paid a certain sum of money required by the lecturer (class adviser). The most disgusting aspect of it is that, it has become a joint venture or ‘business’ that, in most cases it appears to be a deal between the Head of Department (HOD) and the Class Adviser.

This menace has contributed immensely to the rapid increase of quarter baked graduates littering all over the nook and cranny. Most of these graduates cannot even write a letter of employment, talk less of defending what they claim to have studied or acquired. Thus, most are unemployable and this syndrome has led to the alarming rise in vices or quackery. Needless to say that, it’s the sole reactant of the daily occurrence of inconsequential industrial/office hazards. These dismays had generated an indelible decay in our economic system.

Paying a close attention to this collusion (sorting), we’d find out that nobody is to be exempted while dishing out blames. Suffice to say that, anybody could be held responsible.

The school authorities have failed to look into the paramount cause of this aberration which should have been the preliminary or fundamental aspect of their activities/policies, because, any school that is known for the production of low quality graduates would be recognized by the public as a citadel that’s only interested in moneymaking; therefore, it would be better the school in question does not exist. Sometimes when a lecturer is reported to the school authorities by a student for his selfish attitude, the student may end-up losing his/her studentship. This’s appalling and disgusting!

On the other hand, most parents no longer give attention to their children’s social or moral lives, rather, they believe the children’s only plight is money. On that note they keep on sending money to them once they asked for it without minding how often this is done and how much is involved. This anomaly is often observed amongst wealthy parents/guardians. Even, at recent time, most secondary school students no longer sit for or write SSCE exams by themselves, rather, their parents would sponsor/encourage the hiring of ‘machinery’ for them. Due to all these lackadaisical attitudes of most parents, the students at the higher institutions would be left with no other choice or any option than to depend solely on sorting. And the female ones would end-up seducing their lecturers by dressing half-naked or putting on diaphanous clothes to their lecture classes.

Inter alia, the only object of most lecturers at the citadel of higher learning is just to make money, thereby overlooking the basic aim of the citadel in question. Frankly speaking, the sole interest of this set of lecturers is to sell their textbooks or handouts to their students, through their course rep(s); and this guarantees an automatic pass mark or excellent grade as the case may be. The lecturers in question may only appear in the lecture-class once or twice in a semester; and subsequently his textbooks/handouts would be introduced towards the examination period, so the students would be left with no choice. Even if the students decide to create a choice, he/she might be faced with a threat that, anyone whom fails to purchase the book/material would definitely fail the course. And to make the mandate look severe, a list of those whom purchased the material would be taken by the course rep and forwarded to the lecturer as instructed by him/her. To the lecturers involved, this is the most mature aspect of sorting, because it bears less stress/risk.

The appointment of some persons that never passed through a university/polytechnic or as the case may be, as members of the governing body/council of the respective institution by the government should also be seen as a barrier, because these appointees may not be familiar with the nature of activities/contingencies that are often encountered or likely to occur at the place(s) assigned to them.

The government, through the universities/polytechnics/colleges’ regulatory bodies should, from time to time visit the schools with the primary aim of ascertaining how the standard or ethics of the respective schools are maintained/observed by the employees/staff. Also, the Senate of the various schools should be assiduous and sincere in terms of employment to ensure that, standard and reliable lecturers or officers are employed. The Heads of Departments should also ensure that the class/course reps are democratically elected by the concerned students and not to be appointment by any lecturer or person whosoever.

On the other hand, the decent lecturers in the midst ought to be extremely conscious at all times. Most lecturers entrust so much confidence/responsibility on the course reps, that, they could leave their respective offices for elsewhere while a course rep is still in the office sorting out one of two things that has to do with his/her class. And in such process, he/she (course rep) could do anything to please/satisfy his/her selfish desire. These lecturers should note that, the offices in question were allocated to them as an official apartment; so they ought to ensure that the place is being used officially as the rule stipulates.

And, the serious minded and responsible students who fall victim to this circumstance (sorting) should always bear in mind that, nothing is above God; if you encounter such hurdle, go on your knees and seek the face of the Almighty instead of succumbing to a mere cheap threat. Above all, you are required to report such ruthless lecturer/officer to the apt quarters; don’t be deterred by anything whatsoever while taking such step because it’s your duty to act aptly.

More so, parents ought to as well endeavour to devote more of their time to their children’s/wards’ social and moral lives right from their childhood till their adulthood. They should find time to visit them at their respective place of learning to see how they’re faring. Thus, they should not solely depend/rely on phone calls which is often the tradition among most parents/guardians.

Brethren, we should all help to fight this virus that’s eating deep into our socio-economic system, so that, the country will not wake-up one morning to exclaim ‘Ebee woo!’ And to the students, always remember the famous saying, ‘As you lay your bed, so you lie on it.’ Believe me, it’s better late than never. Kindly turn a new leaf without further ado. Think about it!

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COMR. FRED NWAOZOR

frednwaozor@gmail.com