The classroom with an air conditioner

CALABAR, Nigeria, May 7 -- It is a four-walled room located just under the old Faculty of Law building at the University of Calabar (UNICAL). It is used for a classroom for the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension (AEE). In all, one peculiarity attached to the final year classroom of the Department of AEE is that it is the only’ Classroom with Air Conditioner.

The AEE is in the Faculty of Agriculture. The news that it has the only Classroom with Air Conditioner has driven the department to prominence in the school. Dr. Augustine Angba is the Head of the Department. He has been nineteen months in this position within which time he installed two boxes of Air Conditioner in the final year class and equipped it with ultramodern class desks, a projector, projector screen, and white board.

Dr. Ambga, an Associate Professor, told Campuslife about his persuasion. He said it is a matter of passion for the students’ welfare.

‘’If we should judge ourselves, we will find out that we have been very unfair to the students of nowadays. A lot of us that are now Associate Professors and Professors can remember that when we went to school, we ate chickens free of charge. In our hostels, we stayed one in a room. We had scholarships from abroad, locally and from individuals. But today, students can’t even see chairs to sit on and learn. In some other schools, students stay under the tree to receive lectures. So many lecture rooms are using lockers which have long been out dated even in primary and secondary schools. It is not encouraging. We have to set up a minimum environment to encourage, at least, a minimum educational standard.

He continued: ‘’I don’t think we need the federal government to fix all the damaged amenities in our lecture halls. I don’t think we need the federal government to close the pot holes in our lecture halls. We have to make use of our initiatives as humans. We can source money in as much as it is legitimate and also adopt self-help approach to solving some minor problems of the students. We cannot wait for the Vice Chancellor to do everything. It is not ideal. We need a change in the system.

In AEE, the final year class engage in a lot of researches and developmental projects. One of the students, Franklin Bassey told Campuslife that ‘’there is high level of concentration when you study in a convenient environment as the final year class. It boosts your level of assimilation. It enhances understanding’’. All the final year students are given opportunity to make use of the class. Of why it was designed for the final year student, the HOD said ‘’to whom much is given, much is expected. We expect to celebrate hand full of first class graduates this year.

Dr. Angba left a challenge for other Heads of Department: ‘’I want to advice that they should seek advice on how to develop their departments’’. To the students, he advised that ‘’the students should stop pursuing cheap means of acquiring marks. They should start reading and stop chasing lecturers for marks and cheap grades. Handset-holism is a danger of our age. As a student, chatting on Facebook and other social media takes your academic time. Preference should be placed on your books at this time.

A student, Ndifreke Simon, a second year student told Campuslife that it is a matter of pride that in Unical, students learn and read under air conditioned class. This is a mirage in other schools and a strange phenomenon in the Nigeria education system’’. Another student Solomon Ndem said ‘’I wish this virtue will be adopted by other departments so that the students will have a benefit of schooling in a school as this.

The HOD of Agricultural Economics and Extension traced his success to the school administration. ‘’I want to express my gratitude to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. James Epoke, the Dean of Agricultural Faculty, Prof. Mrs. Miriam Solomon for their ardent support. I could not have achieved this feat without them’’, he concluded.