UTME/WAEC exams: Undergraduates become tutors in Yola

More than 20 students from the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, have taken time out of their busy schedule to teach secondary school students in the state who are preparing to sit for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and WAEC examinations. As part of service to their host community, the undergraduates volunteered to teach. Other beneficiaries of the free teaching exercise were recommended by teachers and principals of various secondary schools in Adamawa State as well as members of the host community. A lot of students also attend based on the information that the programme is free. The programme, which is expected to last for six months, focuses on English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Economics. Sunday Trust observed that over 100 students were registered for the programme, which is aimed at reducing UTME and WAEC failures in the state. “This is the first time AUN is setting up this kind of programme. Although we had just little time to select the tutors, I personally selected the best students from each department in the university. These are people I know will be able to make an impact in the lives of the students,’’ Teyim Rila, a Cameroonian and 200 Level student said. The coordinator of the programme added, “As at the time some of these students came into our school to be coached by my team, most of them sounded lost, but with the progress we have made so far, and if revealing results from the tests and mocks we have set for them are anything to go by, I believe there is 98 per cent possibility that they would pass their examinations with very good grades.’’ A South African, Siyabouga Nxumalo, who is on scholarship to read Petroleum Engineering in the university, was happy to be one of the tutors. He teaches Physics. “I find pleasure in teaching these students because I was once like them. I will be glad at anytime to be at their call. It is an opportunity for me to give my own little contribution to these students who cannot afford the luxury of getting the right teaching apparatuses and conditions in the community. Its gives me fulfillment to be part of this team,” Nxumalo told our reporter. Asked if the programme does not conflict with their studies, Nxumalo said, “We try to manage and balance our time so that our lectures do not suffer. We find time to attend our lectures.’’ One of the beneficiaries of the programme, a 17-year-old Nafisa Hammawa, told Sunday Trust that she did not hesitate to join in the classes when she learnt about the programme through her uncle. She said the undergraduate tutors were wonderful and caring. “I started this lesson three weeks ago, and amazingly, I am learning new things. I can’t wait to write my UTME exams. I am now fully prepared to read Chemistry in the university. I have the confidence that I will come out in flying colours,” she said. Another beneficiary, Adamu Lawal, also told our reporter that he was glad when he heard about the programme, saying it is a good opportunity to improve on his poor performance in last year’s UTME. “I am fully prepared to write this year’s exams because these students have really done well in teaching us. I am very grateful. I will make sure that I pass my exams so that their efforts will not be a waste,” Lawal said.