UDUS Education Students Protest Teaching Practice During Break, Say Timing Rob Them of Rest, Income

“I regret studying this education course. Waiting during the break after a long session is painful. I wish the management could schedule the program during the semester as it happens in other institutions,” said Hassan Teslim, a 200-level English Education student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS).

Teslim, like other educational students, express their displeasure over the University's incessant conduct of Teaching Practice during the academic break. According to him, the decision will prevent him from going to his hometown, Ilorin, after an exhausting session I'm the seat of Caliphate. 

For some, the experience has already been unpleasant. Abdullahi Abubakr, a 400-level English Education student, recalled how his TP period coincided with Ramadan together with the harsh Caliphate weather, making it even more difficult for him during that time. 

“My supervisor didn’t check on me throughout the programme, and it took him weeks to sign my logbook after everyone else had finished. That made me question the purpose of the whole exercise,” Abdullahi said.

Hassan Albasory, a 100-level Islamic Education student, expressed the fear of what awaits him in his 200 level. To him, waiting in Sokoto for Teaching Practice will be a nightmare, as the stress will be unbearable for him. 

For Dauda Jamiu, a 200-level student, the whole exercise robs him of the opportunity to earn money during the break. “I use my break to work and save for the next session. But with TP fixed during the holiday, I can’t do that,” he lamented.

Responding to the complaints, Dr. Abdullahi Umar, a lecturer in the Department of English Education at UDUS, acknowledged that the programme ideally should take place during school sessions. However, he said the university calendar often clashes with that of secondary schools, which force the management to adjust.

“We follow the calendar of the targeted secondary schools. When it doesn’t align with the university’s timetable, we have no choice but to schedule the programme during the break,” Dr. Umar said.

On whether there's any amendment he could make to it, he replied that the Dean of the faculty will decide if any can be made.