Tension as UNILAG commences exams after COVID- 19 break

THE University of Lagos ( UNILAG) has commenced its 2019/ 2020 exams cancelled in the wake of lockdown occasioned by COVID- 19 pandemic.

However, students are protesting the one- week time frame scheduled for the examination calling on management to give them more time.

A circular released on the school’s website showed the new measures put in place by the school for the examination.

In the revised academic calendar, the first semester examination for the 2019/ 2020 session is scheduled to hold between March 22 and April 30, 2021.

While 100 and 200 level students would take their exams virtually from March 29 to April 7, 300 level students would take physical exams from April 8 to 16 and 400 to 500 level students would also take theirs physically between April 19 and 24.

Similarly, examination in core courses in the Faculty of Education would be physical and would hold between April 26 and 30.

Students were however divided on the success or otherwise of the Learning Management System ( LMS) deployed for online learning.

A 300 level Mass Communication student, who identified himself as Boyo, said with online classes, one can easily learn from the comfort of his home, and not have to rush for classes.

But Josiah, a 400 level student of Systems Engineering, said while the idea of virtual learning is a good one; the school is not adequately prepared for it.

He said: “If we are going online, the school should have put in place measures that would make learning truly virtual. In this case, there was no difference between attending physical and online classes. Students still struggled to join Zoom classes, download course materials and even submit assignments or take tests. The situation is rather pathetic.”

“Writing exams using LMS may even be worse. Apart from the problem of data subscription, network is a major challenge and one could have problem accessing internet on crucial days, especially during examinations.”

“Most of us were logged out when writing our exams. What would you say about that? Your data could suddenly run out or network issues due to bad weather. So different things could make students not to enjoy online learning in Nigeria where internet is a major problem,” Alabi, a 200 level Philosophy student lamented.

Some lecturers also expressed reservations about online learning. While some insisted on physical classes, others said online learning is the way to go.