AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CHALLENGES FACED BY STUDENTS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES  AND SUGGESTED WAYS OF SOLVING THEM

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

It is stated that in the kingdom of the blind, one eyed man is king, and this was true during a period when formal schooling did not have much significance for the typical African. Holders of standard six as a higher level of elementary education were held in high regard. Holders of the general certificate of education [also known as the Cambridge certificate] have the potential to advance to management positions in corporations (Aytac, 1993). However, in a well-known nation such as Nigeria. It is recognized that both the government and the school have a role to play in the serious – comedic dilemma that students in higher education institutions are experiencing. There are two arms, and every now and then they both disagree and opt to carry out the same deed over and over again. This sort of dilemma is only encountered by students who are aware of the harm that they will suffer as a result of their actions, and not by students who are not aware of the consequences. As part of a covert strategy to blackmail students, instructors have given students the opportunity to side-step the pattern of moving through a higher education institution. Whatever mental picture we have of ourselves is the key to our personality and behavior. A number of groups of troubled students exist at our college, and they are responsible for the continuation of immorality on our campus (Aytac, 1993). The majority of the time, we read about HIV/AIDS in newspapers, periodicals, and posters that have captions. Keep an eye out for the HIV /AIDS sickness; the murderers on our campus want to avoid it for their own benefit. Despite the fact that we all desire to be educated and earn a degree, our educational institutions admit large numbers of students while failing to provide adequate care for them, resulting in malfunctioning. Students who are admitted begin to experience problems such as housing, transportation and living conditions, as well as social and inadequate facilities. Higher education institutions are the primary source of the workforce essential for a country's growth to take place. Knowledge and skills are learned in this environment, which is critical to the efficient and successful operation of almost all companies and offices. It is unfortunate that certain conditions have a tendency to work against them. When a student becomes entangled in an issue, it is conceivable that all of their academic work will get entangled in the problem as well(Aytac, 1993).

Difficulties are a natural aspect of life; a person may encounter them, an organization may encounter them, and society as a whole may encounter several problems. According to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, an issue is a tough question that must be resolved or determined. The problem, on the one hand, suppresses human knowledge while, on the other hand, tests human comfort and capacity to endure. Those in the student environment, particularly those at I.M.T., are confronted with a distinct stage of trouble as compared to those who are not on campus. They see the situation as an abnormal circumstance that is interfering with their academic pursuits for the most part. Naturally, all human beings are expected to encounter problems at some point in their lives, with varying degrees of success in finding solutions. However, a student who has been admitted into an institute of management and technology and is preoccupied with a prospect that every other student would be looking forward to can become infected with a variety of perplexities as well. In this school, for example, when a student is accepted (that is, when we issue you an acceptance letter or anything along those lines), he or she will not just stroll inside the building and begin studying(Aytac, 1993). His first step will be to accept admission and register as an orthodoxy member of the institution, which will not be as simple as he or she would expect it to be, though it will not be a major issue for a student who is simply visiting the campus for the purpose of learning more about the institution.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Science and technology are progressing at an ever-increasing rate with each passing day, and the quality of life is altering. However, according to the findings of recent studies, young people lack confidence in higher education for a variety of reasons, including a large number of expectations at universities, the inadequacy of the education they receive at universities for finding a job, and psychological and general problems. Today's university students are unable to graduate without receiving a suitable benefit from their university education, as well as plan their future orientations and ambitions. Consequently, since they are products of their social, cultural, and economic environments as well as their social structure, they are complex and distinct. As a result of this scenario, the young people turn to crime (Agba, 1993). It is vital to shed light on the position that young people are in and the issues that they are facing in order to be able to comprehend the causes for this skepticism and give answers to them. Identifying existing situations and problems, as well as assisting university students in discovering their personalities, sharing responsibilities, developing their activities and relationships in social life, and providing consistent, permanent, and multidimensional services to meet their desires and needs, are all made much more possible. In order to develop real answers and take solid measures for the future, solutions to be suggested must adopt an acceptable, reasonable approach to both Turkish circumstances and university conditions. This is the only way to produce practical solutions and take strong actions for the future (Aytac, 1993). Making a clear and tangible determination of the challenges that university students are experiencing, moving away from their own unique assessments, would provide valuable input for the creation of programs and services geared toward younger adults (Lucas, 1993 cited by Gizir, 2005).

1.3       OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

the general objective of the study is to investigate into the challenges faced by students in federal universities  and suggested ways of solving them. Specifically, the study will be guided under the following:

i.          To examine the challenges of effective teaching and learning in the federal university.

ii.        To find out if unemployment and Worry about the Future is part of the challenges faced by student of federal University.

iii.      To establish strategies that would remedy the challenges in the teaching and learning in federal University.

1.4       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions have been prepared for the study:

i.          What are the challenges of effective teaching and learning in the federal university?

ii.        Does unemployment and Worry about the Future is part of the challenges faced by student of federal University.

iii.      What are the strategies that would remedy the challenges in the teaching and learning in federal University?

1.5       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study will be significant to the university management as it will be exposed to the challenges student in the University face thereby devising strategies to mitigate against these challenges.

The study will be significant to the academic community as it will contribute to the existing literature.

1.6       SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will examine the challenges of effective teaching and learning in the federal university. The study will also find out if unemployment and Worry about the Future is part of the challenges faced by student of federal University. Lastly, the study will establish strategies that would remedy the challenges in the teaching and learning in federal University. Hence the study will be delimited to Federal University of technology( FUTA)Akure, Ondo State.

1.7       LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire, and interview), which is why the researcher resorted to a moderate choice of sample size. More so, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.

1.8       DEFINITION OF  TERM

Challenges: a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength

University: a high-level educational institution in which students study for degrees and academic research is done.