The Morning Struggle: Faculty of Arts Students on the Delay in Opening Classes for Early Morning Lectures

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Oyedokun Agnes Tioluwanimi.

The consistent delay in opening lecture rooms for early morning classes in the Faculty of Arts has become a major source of concern for its students. Just as it was in the previous sessions, the issue has been recurring again since the beginning of this academic session. Thus, the students of the Faculty of Arts have had to endure this inconvenient situation especially whenever they have classes that are scheduled for the earliest lecture time in the faculty—7 a.m.

The prospect of attending classes at 7 a.m. is often dreaded by students because it involves a great deal of rushing and hoping everything falls in place to be in time for the lecture. To avoid missing possible impromptu tests, important information, and lectures; a lot of students exert considerable effort to be punctual. Yet, for those students who defy the odds to attend these early classes, whether from far distances or any of the halls of residence on campus, their efforts, including that of the lecturers, come to nought by the tardiness of porters who should have opened classrooms earlier.

Many students of the faculty who have repeatedly encountered this problem wonder whether the faculty management is aware of this ongoing issue, and if they have taken prompt action, considering their pivotal role in overseeing the faculty’s affairs.

The roles of porters in the faculty are undeniably significant. They are responsible for maintaining classroom security, cleanliness, and proper arrangements. However, problems arise when they fail to be punctual, especially in the morning. As everyone waits, their patience wears thin, stress levels rise, and an atmosphere of frustration and wasted time prevails. Time is a finite resource and can never be reclaimed once it slips away.

While it’s important to condemn the porters’ tardiness, it is also crucial to consider factors that may contribute to their late arrivals. Challenges with transportation or last-minute duty assignments may be at play. Regardless of the reasons, addressing these issues promptly is essential to ensure the smooth operation of the faculty and to create a conducive learning environment for both students and lecturers.

Frequent delays disrupt the flow of the classes, affect concentration and distract both the lecturers and students. When scheduled classes consistently commence late due to these delays, valuable time is lost, and lecturers do not have enough teaching time and so either rush through or are unable to cover a topic within the planned time. This can also impact students’ ability to retain important information, ultimately affecting their academic progress.

Moreover, frequent delays can lead to reduced attendance rates. Many students may lose motivation to attend 7 a.m. classes, or even skip the classes due to numerous experiences of waiting outside classrooms for extended periods. This not only hampers their academic growth but also sets a negative precedent for their future time management skills.

Speaking on this issue, Kenny Philip, a student of the Department of Communication and Language Arts said, “I get annoyed most of the time. I try to wake up early, 4 am at the latest, take my bath, rush my food and get to class. I have to walk under the rain sometimes so as not to miss classes. Logically, I expect that the classes should be open, so I don’t have to stand, but sadly, most of the times when I get to school at 6:46 am for these 7 am classes, I still have to wait an extra 25 minutes, with the lecturers, for the porters to come and open the door”.

Also reacting, Salaudeen Ridwan, a student of Arabic and Islamic studies said, “I had a 7 am class. I got to the lecture room at 6:59 a.m., and the lecturer was around, but to our surprise, the door was still locked, so we had to wait. Our lecturer (who’s a senior lecturer in the faculty) spent some minutes calling those who were supposed to open the lecture rooms. One of them arrived later. If our lecturer was not a senior lecturer, we might have had to stay out for up to 30 minutes. It’s too bad. Another day, the same thing happened and it was after ten minutes that the lecture room was opened for use”.

Also, Temitope, a student of the Department of Communication and Language Arts, relayed her experience with tardy porters and expressed her discontent on the issue.
She said, “We used PG room for the class and we had to wait for about 20 minutes before the porter came to open the door for us, and thankfully, it was a 2-hour class. It was very stressful because it was in the morning. I was still feeling sleepy and I was extremely tired.”

This ongoing problem raises some concerning questions on whether there has ever been an effort to get these porters to improve their work ethic. Is the Faculty management aware of this issue, and if so, what actions have they taken? Have there been any sanctions or penalties imposed on these porters for their actions, or must AFASites continue to tolerate actions that could jeopardize their academic advancement? If the significance of punctuality is communicated to the porters, there should be no delays whatsoever, considering the impact it has on both students and lecturers.

In conclusion, punctuality is a valuable trait that should be nurtured, particularly in the realm of education. The persistent tardiness of porters negatively affects both students and lecturers attending 7 a.m. classes, disrupting the educational process. To ensure that students in the Faculty of Arts can uphold academic excellence, it is crucial to provide an environment conducive to learning, free from disruptions to their academic progress.

Editor’s note: Some names were changed in the report at the request of the sources.

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