Students studying at the Isolo campus of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), are having it tough with high cost of rent and academic challenges on campus PRINCESS OKAFOR reports.
Students of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Isolo campus, have lamented how the institution’s lack of hostels on campus is affecting their finances and studies.

They also complained about the irregularity of lectures for months after resumption, as well as what they called irrelevant rules they have to obey.

The polytechnic, like other Lagos State-owned tertiary institutions, does not have hostels on campuses – though the government has started building an 8,000-bed hostel at the Lagos State University (LASU).

The LASPOTECH Isolo campus has both part-time and full-time students. The full time programme however has only two departments (Office Technology Management and Accounting); the rest are at the institution’s main campus in Ikorodu.

Presently, the full-time students in National Diploma [ND] 1; Higher National Diploma [HND] I and HND II classes are wrapping up their first semester examinations while ND II students are scheduled to begin their examinations on August 23.

The part- time students on the other hand, are in their second semester which is scheduled to end next month according to the institution’s academic calendar. However, they are bearing the brunt of the ongoing examinations which they lamented had affected their classes. They said their classes have not been regular despite resuming over five weeks ago.

Nevertheless they are scheduled to write their examination next month. Besides selling of text books, the part-time students said little is going on. As a result, they have been reluctant about coming to school. They said they come anytime they feel like.

“Lecturers have not been coming for classes, most of us just come to take attendance and go,” said two part-time students of Mass Communication who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE on condition of anonymity.

Out of about 350 students in the class, the duo said only a few attend lectures – which they said was a disservice to students who cannot comprehend just by studying on their own.

“As for both of us, we understand better when they teach us. What helps us most is the night class tutorials we attend before the exams. We pay for those classes, at least N300. But it still better than failing and getting carry overs,” they said

Source: The Nations newspaper.