June 18th saw the climax of the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) for the 2020/2021 academic session. Being a programme designed to expose students in the science-related departments in the school to the practical aspect of their course of study, the last thing one would expect is a mixed-reaction towards it with many calling for its dissolution and others calling for a continual in recent time. Do the latest batch of students toe this line? What sentiments do they hold concerning it? What is their scorecard saying? Quadri Yahya reports.
Incontrovertibly, it is a new terrain, a new environment, different from the perks of the classroom. The bottom line is invariably to draw a line between the two entities. For the students, exciting the adventure will be, for some, it is rather a time to make money.
But as far as Peter Abayomi, a Mass Communication ND2 student is concerned, the former is irretrievably the case as he chalked up more than just academic-course related benefits in the past three months of being miles away from the school.
To him, the three-month adventure was worth every bit of it, underpinning his now improved human-relations skill to the programme.
He said, “The three months I spent at my media house was worth it as I gained many things during the SIWES programme.
“The programme really helps most students a lot. Through this SIWES training, I personally know how to associate with people.”
She worked at the hospital being a Science Laboratory Student. The programme offered her the opportunity to see first-hand how a pregnant woman put to bed, how appendix surgery is carried out among others.
Salahudeen Islamiyaat explained in her words, “I would say the three months programme is worthwhile because I learnt a lot of things. There are some things I am supposed to know as an SLT student but the school did not teach us and I learnt everything during my SIWES.”
“I learnt a lot about health, though I did my SIWES in the hospital. I have experience on how pregnant women put to bed, how appendix surgery is being done and some other surgeries. I have more confidence.”
Competence is being said to come with confidence, and that was quite reflective in what Adeyemi Adeyinka had to say about the programme.
“I can stand boastfully that I study architecture after my ND programme as I have known the theory and practical aspect of the work.
“If you have really taken the SIWES programme seriously, you will benefit from it. If you, as a student, have been nonchalant during the three months programme, you may not be able to be confident in what you study. But if otherwise, you will be boastful of your course of study,” he stated.
Should it Continue, Should it not?
In his view, Abayomi asserted that the programme should continue and even be made more than three months.
He detailed that due to the value the programme offers, three months does not suffice and that a month should be added to it to make the students gain more value.
“This SIWES programme, it is not everything that we were taught in the class. We practicalised it during the SIWES programme. Another month should be added to it in order for the students to gain more from it,” Abayomi said.
From the department of Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Abdulkareem Opeyemi, an ND2 student seemed to pitch his tent with Abayomi as in his words three months is “small” as what is being taught in the class has to be practicalized comprehensively on the field.
Kudirat Tijani is a young lady with a long-time passion for the medical world. It has always been her dream to work in the lab. For SIWES giving her such opportunity, a continual is a Yes-Yes.
“I have passion for working in a lab. And SIWES has given me the opportunity to work in the lab,” she said.
More assertive and definite about the duration the programme should last for, Olayiwola Quadri, an ND2 student said, “The time for the training is not very enough, but it is also enough. Why I said it is not very enough is that three months is very short for a student to learn the practical of a course. I think the programme should run for five months to make students gain more experience.”
What of those who went to hustle?
“Normally, students should not use this time of training to hustle at all. Because what those students who partake in the training will gain, they might not have the experience anymore.
“I would rather urge students to make use of the training programme wisely. Because those students that use their own time to hustle, all the money they benefitted from the hustling will later exhaust one day. But if they take their personal time to go for the training, what they gain will never disappear,” Abayomi stated.
Hitting home the same point with him was Abdulazeez as he conceded that, “We are going to hustle, hustle has infinite time. But this experience that you have now, it is forever.”
Islamiyaat, on the other hand, slammed those who would cite the need of money as their reason for not undergoing SIWES as mandated.
She said, “I really need money too. But If I lack knowledge about my course of study, then why am I in school?”
SIWES is meant to run for 16 weeks
Speaking to an authoritative source in the polytechnic, it was gathered that SIWES, according to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), is slated to run for only 16 weeks for polytechnics and colleges of education while universities are given six months.
According to the source, nothing can be done about it except there is a change by the NBTE.
