A polytechnic lecturer has said that schools awarding degrees should be confident in their grade system and not embark on other measures to confirm whether students actually deserve their grades.
The lecturer who wouldn’t want his name in print spoke on the backdrop of demand by authorities of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, which recently asked graduating students on First Class level to take qualifying test to determine whether they actually deserve their grades.
The lecturer who is also Dean of Students’ Affairs said: “My own opinion is that it’s not necessary except if they don’t trust their credit (grade) system. If you trust your credit system and somebody has made first class you don’t need to subject him to another test because you start the test from year one so you don’t wait until the person is over then you now begin to come back and say let’s confirm whether you actually merit it or not”.
The dean of students’ affairs said the school should trust their grade system and rely on it and not make attempt to subject students to another test.
He said the school should award first class to the students except if their grade system had error.
He said there was no need for the school to try to be certain before awarding first class to the students, but noted he wouldn’t object if it was the best option for the school.
He also said students would not be blamed for not agreeing to take the test.
The academic said: “Of course they won’t be willing to take the test because you have tested them in year one, two, three and final year and project and you want to subject them to another test, but if the university authority considers that this is the best for the school, I don’t object to that”.
He however advised universities and polytechnics not to go into setting qualifying test for students who would be on first class to determine whether they should be awarded.
He said that schools should be confident in their credit system.
Some of the students of the university who spoke to newsmen questioned the need for the test.
Also, some students in the state who spoke on the development expressed their views.
A polytechnic student, Promise, said the test was necessary for first class students to defend the image of the university.
He said: “It’s very important for them to take the test because they are coming out as first class to face the society and they are coming out with their grade and whichever company they apply for their grade is valued and it will represent them. So for the school to send out those products to the society they need to be very sure so they don’t go out to spoil the image of the school”.
He said although what the school was doing was right it should give the students time to prepare saying it would be unfair if they would not have enough time to prepare for the test.
He also said that educational values had been corrupted.
Another student, Nbani, also said what the school was doing was good saying it was trying to be satisfied that the students merit first class status and could represent the university.
He said: “Without doing that, that means the school is not too satisfied about it because of what is called malpractice going on in schools in the entire country which the school is fighting against so by the time they do that the school will be satisfied about it”.
He advised the students who expressed unwillingness to take the test to try and take the test.
Also speaking, a female student of Department of Public Administration noted that lecturers should know students’ abilities and award first class to those deserving it.
The student named Omunakwe Queen said the test was really not necessary.
She said even though students could buy grades lecturers should know their abilities and grade accordingly.
She therefore said it was not necessary for the school to set test for the graduating students.
