By
Awa-abuon John Asama
In the
history of university education in Nigeria, there has never been a time where
students have had to stay at home for such a prolonged period. Firstly because
of
the pandemic and then because of the ASUU strike. To those who
take their
academics seriously, this is bad news. Having to stay without
academic activities for 8 months works against the smooth flow of the learning
plan in the curriculum.
What good
could there be in this seemingly bad situation? Let's take a
look at some
of the possible 'silver lines' in this dark cloud of the ASUU
strike.
Students get a simulation of how life after graduation will be.
Students
often get so embroiled in the academic process and fail to seek the connection
between what they are being taught in school and the 'real' world.
More often
than not, fresh graduates feel lost on how to navigate life after graduation.
Dealing with the pressures that come with looking for a job, and keeping it
sometimes can be really tough for most fresh graduates.
This time of
no academic activity provides ample opportunity for students to explore and
engage in activities that simulate the work-life they will inevitably get into
soon. Activities like volunteering, free- or paid-internship or even starting
and running a business to gain entrepreneurial insights can go a long way in
getting them ready for the work-life after they eventually graduate.
Students have time to learn a skill
With the high
rate of unemployment in the country today, it is a great risk as a student to
graduate without having a skill.
But for a
regular Nigerian student, there is hardly enough free time and mental energy to
dedicate to learning a skill with the school in session and the short span of
the holidays do not seem to help much either.
However,
this period of no academic activity has provided an invaluable opportunity for
students who wish to acquire a skill set to do so without having to worry about
lagging in their academics. Opportunities like this do not come very often.
While the
prolonged strike by the academic staff union of universities is totally
undesirable, it, however, bears with it an invaluable opportunity that can be
exploited by those who seek to make the most of unfavorable situations.
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