Students gathered, waiting, standing, sitting on bags or bare floors, guarding their spots like concert front-row attendees, pushing against one another to get closer to the entrance and occasionally collapsing into one another from sheer tiredness after what felt like endless long queues. Though the sun was barely out, the atmosphere was already heavy, as no one knew for how long they would have to wait. The Class Representative’s WhatsApp buzzed constantly with messages and calls from classmates asking the same questions over and over: When are we starting? I hope they are not postponing it again? What time are they concluding now?
For days now, this has been the reality for students, facing system glitches, schedule clashes for test times, and the persistence of long queues for hours, resulting in overcrowding during their Computer-Based Test (CBT).
Amid the growing concern and complaints, the Great Ife Students’ Union declared a State of Emergency on Wednesday, 4th February, regarding all CBT examinations, stating that they had received numerous concerns from students about the Mandatory Implementation of the CBT course, with enrolment exceeding 250 students. They described the situation as one that has reached a critical juncture, undermining academic integrity, student performance, and overall well-being.
In light of this, they announced that all CBT tests were hereby postponed until further notice, with the postponement remaining in effect until the university management implements verifiable solutions, including, but not limited to: establishing clear timelines and regulations for each course to manage CBT scheduling, expanding ICT facilities—such as the inclusion of Cloud Computing Infrastructure to accommodate more students comfortably—comprehensive upgrades to the CBT system to eliminate technical glitches and ensure reliability, and the presence of course coordinators and security personnel to support ICT staff.
Furthermore, the Union demanded that the academic calendar be extended by one month to mitigate the disadvantages faced by students, particularly freshmen, who had only recently gained access to their courses on the university e-portal.
Students Disagree with Calendar Extension
Awe Precious, a second-year student from the Department of Economics, expressed her concern: ‘I’m doing my ICAN Certification Exam one week after the normal school calendar ends, so any extension of the normal school attendance will affect not just me, but everyone doing ICAN.
‘I appreciate the Students’ Union speaking out about the Computer-Based Test (CBT) issue, even though their response feels like crying over spilt milk, as almost all the students have already completed their tests, just hoping it doesn’t repeat itself during the examination.
‘Even if they want to make changes, they should consider a one-week extension, as most of our food supplies have run out, especially since some of us didn’t go home during the last festive break.
She also emphasised the structural challenges of the CBT system from her perspective: ‘I think OAU is not well prepared for CBT exams and tests because we don’t have enough facilities. We need an extension of our ICT centre, more sitting space rather than having us sit on the floor. We also need shelters around and inside the ICT to protect us from exhaustion under the sun.
Ajayi Samuel, a Broadcast Journalism student, believes the challenges extend beyond facilities. He said, ‘I feel like the university management is at fault, as they over-admitted this year. Normally, they admit 6,000 to 8,000 students, but they admitted 12,000 this year, knowing they can’t accommodate such a number. They went ahead and gave admissions, which is now causing chaos. He added that if the university management extends the academic calendar by a month, it will disrupt the calendar and delay the graduation of final-year students.
Additionally, Adeleke Iyanoluwa, a third-year student of Business Administration, said, ‘Regarding the academic extension, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad decision, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I feel by now, freshmen should understand that OAU involves struggling, and even with that, it’s possible to cope.
‘The reason I feel they shouldn’t add the extension is that OAU is already slow; adding an extra month will drag the academic calendar even more. It likely won’t change anything, as I doubt the CBT process will take a month to resolve. Instead, students will spend a month potentially not doing what they should be doing, as I’m not sure classes might occur then. Furthermore, she noted that extending the calendar could cause unnecessary stress and delays to plans already in progress for both students and the university.
In addition, Feranmi Adesipe, a Part 1 student of Software Engineering, said, ‘It is not quite necessary to add an extra month since the semester is almost over. Many students have been looking forward to going home for the semester break in March; an extension of the semester will make most of them angry.’ He also added that the academic calendar would be affected by the extension.
Moreover, Alabi Precious, a Part Two student of Sociology and Anthropology, expressed a similar sentiment. She said, ‘The school management adding a month will not stop the overcrowded ICT centres or poor facilities; it will only delay students who have already planned their finances, internships, NYSC timelines, and personal commitments around the current calendar. Some of us are already exhausted, and adding one month to the sessions will increase our stress rather than improve our performance.’ Speaking about students fainting during the CBT Test, she noted that it’s proof that the environment is not safe enough, citing overcrowding, poor ventilation, long waiting hours, and stress. ‘Some of us even skipped meals to meet the early schedule time.’
To the university, I would say that they must enforce proper scheduling, improve ventilation and cooling, and provide medical support during exams to prevent similar incidents during the examination period.
While tests are suspended until further notice and exams are fast approaching, the question lingering in many students’ minds is: will all the stress experienced during the test also be repeated during the examination period, and will there be an extension to the academic session or not? The Great Ife Students’ Union is urging the school management to implement reforms by extending the academic session by one month and working towards meeting all their demands.