School authorities partly to blame for cultism – NANS

The National Association of Nigerian Students says school authorities are partly responsible for the high incidence of cultism, exam malpractices and other vices in higher institutions.

Nwankwo Ezekiel, the Public Relations Officer of the student body, who said this in an interview with the News Agency in Abuja on Monday, also acknowledged the fact that many students were not taking their studies seriously.

Ezekiel said the emphasis on generating revenue by institutions had caused a lot of problems, resulting in over-crowding.

He said this was a breeding ground for cultism, exam malpractices and other vices.

He argued that schools should admit students according to the vacancies they have so that the environment would be conducive for learning and effective supervision.

He said: “The managements of some institutions contribute to this menace.

“The number of students they admit far out surpasses the capacity of their schools.

“You see a situation where the number of students standing up in a lecture hall is more than those seated.

“How do you want them to learn in such situations?

“In some schools, when the National Universities Commission is coming for accreditation, they will declare one week holiday and ask the students to go home.

“They will keep about 40 to 60 select students in the departments in question and NUC will think that is the number of students they have.”

On the part of the students, Ezekiel debunked stories about lecturers coercing students into paying all sorts of money as untrue.

Ezekiel said that students themselves pressurise lecturers with inducements to get good scores because of their unserious attitude to studies.

He said: “Many of them do not read their books.

“They go to clubs and do a lot of things that distract them.

“At the end of the day, they try to bribe lecturers into passing them at all costs.”

However, he said that NANS organises regular sensitisation programmes where students were conscientised to shun cultism, exam malpractice and indecent dressing, among others vices.

The NANS PRO further said that sign posts with anti-vices inscriptions were all over the campuses, adding that plans were under way to hold a “massive” rally to address the social ills bedeviling higher institutions.

NAN.