The Vice Chancellor, Anambra State University Professor Ifeanacho Paul Orajaka recently read the Riot Act to the University staff during an interactive session of the University Management with all Academic staff held at the Igbariam campus of the University. We reproduce here under, details of the Interactive Session.

Highlights:

a. Rationale for the Interactive Session

Damaging reports relating to:

- Rot in the system and doubts regarding the sanctity of examinations conducted in the University.

- Faulty system of registration of students at the commencement of an academic year. HOD's don't seem to be interested on whether or not their students pay fees. As a result, student registrations are incomplete with no class list compiled;

- Quality of students being graduated from the University and whether, in actual fact, the University passed through them;

- Staff not interested in qualitative teaching of students but concerned themselves with making money, sorting, sale of self-authored books and handouts, black-mailing of students (particularly female ones), complete absence of Student advising/counseling, etc.

- Most academic staff coming to work once weekly or forth-nightly, rush their lectures and dash out without participating in the affairs of the department;

- Lecturers not marking scripts but award marks with reckless abandon

- Problem of some regular academic staff holding regular appointments elsewhere.

B. Resolutions on ways of stemming the tide

1. Students' Registration

HODs and all academic staff in each department must, from now on, be fully involved in student registration by ensuring that:

i. All students in their department pay appropriate school fees within the stipulated period;

ii. Students register for departmental and, where applicable, service courses, within the stipulated time frame;

iii. No student shall register for new courses in the next level if he/she has not successfully cleared all courses in the previous level. For example, no student shall register for 200 level courses if he/she has not cleared all 100 level courses;

iv. At the close of registration, departments shall compile class lists for all departmental and service courses registered by students in their departments. Copies of the class lists shall be made available to lecturers in the department handling those courses.

2. Teachings/Student attendance to Lectures

i. Absenteeism on the part of lecturers will no longer be tolerated. HODs shall, from now on, monitor attendance to lectures by lecturers and turn in periodic reports on those found wanting.

ii. Course outline/scheme of work for the semester must, henceforth, be strictly followed by all lecturers. HODs shall, henceforth, monitor teachings by lecturers and ensure that the scheme is adhered to.

iii. Lecture time table should, henceforth, be arranged in such a way that lectures shall end at 6.00pm. This arrangement should obviate the tendency of some teachers to rush their lectures and dash out of the Campus, as well as reducing drastically the incidence of conflicts involving students with more than one lecture holding same time.

iv. Attendance to lectures is mandatory for all students and should from now on, be strictly enforced and monitored with an accurate class list. No unregistered student shall be allowed into the lecture halls for lectures.

v. Large classes shall be divided into smaller classes, each manned by a lecturer. No class shall comprise more than 100 students. This will enable each lecturer know each student in his/her class for proper advising/counseling.

Vi. Departmental Board meetings must, henceforth be held every month to review teachings by lecturers.

3. Examinations/Marking of Scripts

i. No unregistered student shall be allowed into the examination hall during examinations. The class lists already compiled shall be used to check in students at each examination.

Ii. Related to 3(i) above, no student with less than 75% attendance at lectures should be allowed to sit for the examination in the course(s).

iii. Examinations must be well organized and supervised. Supervision of examinations shall be organized in such a way that there should be one invigilator to 25 students that are evenly spaced in the examination hall.

iv. Each lecturer shall produce a marking scheme, a copy of which should be handed over to the Head of Department.

v. At the end of each examinations, the Head of Department shall take custody of the answer scripts and thereafter arrange for conference marking that will involve all academic staff of the Department, using the already prepared marking scheme earlier handed over to him. The marking process shall be completed within two weeks of the examinations.

vi. Grades in each course shall be entered in the appropriate grade report sheets after the conference marking and duly signed by the relevant officers.

vii. Results should be published as soon as the Departmental Board approves them, so that the concerned students should know the grades they made in each course.

viii. Departmental Examinations Officer to collate and compile all results in a composite sheet for the use of the Examinations/Records Unit of the Registry as well as for departmental records. The Vice-Chancellor may from time to time, ask for departmental result composite sheets.

ix. Examination question papers and grade report sheets are strictly confidential documents which shall be handled by HODs and not clerks or messengers.

4. Other Instructions

i. Sale of handouts or self-authored books is prohibited. Lecturers who feel they have good materials for students should push them to markets or University Bookshops. Students are not duty bound to buy the next books or handouts and should not, therefore, be compelled to buy them. This shall serve as final warning to all academic staff as severe disciplinary action awaits defaulters.

ii. Council frowns seriously on full-time staff taking full-time employment in establishments outside the University and will not hesitate to take decisive action against such staff. However, for part-time or adjunct appointment, outside the University, permission must be obtained from the University Management.

iii. In keeping with the directive of the NUC, all academic staff of the University who have not yet obtained their doctorate degrees must do so by the end of 2012.

iv. All other vices which, in the past, tended to give this University a bad name (i.e. sorting, arbitrary award of marks, harassment of female students, lateness and absenteeism etc) should no longer be tolerated. Severe penalty awaits offenders.