Danfodiyo Students Express Dissatisfaction Over Approved Academic Calendar

On Saturday the 10th of July 2021, it was learnt that the University Senate approved the proposed academic calendar for the 2020/2021 academic session to start on Monday, the 2nd of August, 2021 and end on Saturday, the 25th of June, 2022. The approved academic calendar, which has been circulating on social media platforms, was signed by the Acting Director, Academic Planning Unit of the University, Dr K.G. Muhammad. 

Many students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto have expressed their discomfort over the approved academic calendar by the University Management and have pleaded for an adjustment. In their reactions, the students lamented over the development and provided possible solutions. While reacting to the new development, Abubakar Muhammad Jalo, a level two student of Islamic Studies, stressed that the calendar should be shortened because academic activities were disrupted by the outbreak of the pandemic. 

“Because of the effect of [the] pandemic, [this] is a clarion call on the management to please…try and make some rearrangements in adjusting the calendar for the benefit of the students,” he said.

He also said the students would be grateful if the calendar is revised.

In his reaction, Soliu Ridwanullah Adisa from the Department of Public Administration expressed sadness and narrated how his hopes were dashed by the newly approved calendar. and hope for adjustment by the University authority.

“I was once in a discussion with a friend from Unilorin about the ongoing infrastructural transformation in UDUS. In the conversation, I made him realized that the facilities on [the] ground will fast-track academic activities in UDUS. But in reverse, it saddened my heart [to see] the approved academic calendar. If the calendar can be adjusted by the management, it will be of benefit to both students and the University at large so that we can meet up with our pairs in other institutions and add to our undiminished goodwill,” he said.

Another student, Yusuf Balogun, a 400 level student of the Faculty of Law commended the efforts of the University’s management and implored the academic planning unit to effect some changes in the newly approved academic calendar. 

“Factually, the newly approved 2020/2021 academic calendar is a remarkable one. But I will still like to advise the Director of Academic Planning Unit to please to look critically at our duration of writing examination, semester break and that of mid-semester in comparison with other universities of our calibre,” he said.

Abdulqodir Ridwan, a level one student of the Department of Arabic Language emphasised the significance of the academic calendar to students and demanded appropriate consideration from the management. 

“To students, [the] academic calendar is the most important. [It is] the first priority of the students. In my plead, I’m begging the school management to consider the students. Besides, I implore the management to try as much as possible to make the school activities balance with other Federal universities that are now ahead of us,” he pleaded.

Ummi Adama, a Biology student said she is not happy seeing the calendar and demanded consideration.

In his own opinion, a 400 level student of Forestry who identified himself as Ahmad Ismail proposed the needed adjustment thus: “Registration of new students should be seven weeks, one week should be reduced from our break and ten weeks should be deployed for lectures while examination covers three weeks.”

Submitting his reaction, another level two student from the Department of Sociology, Abdulazeez Abdulquadir, related his dissatisfaction and appealed to the management for swift changes. He added that he was not expecting such a proposed calendar to be approved without any amendment.

“Though the calendar has been proposed since of which I hope there will be an amendment before the approval. I felt so depressed about the approval of such a calendar without any amendment. The 2020 – 2021 approved calendar is unfavourable to the students. We urge the management to consider the clamour of the students by making favourable adjustments to the recently approved calendar because prolonging of the academic calendar can cause delay on our academic development,” he urged.

On her part, Rodiah Galadima of Education Biology, 200 level implored the management to fasten the academic calendar so that the students can meet up with their mates in other universities.

According to the calendar, it is estimated that the incoming religious festivals such as Muslim Eids will be observed by the students in the university the same way they did this year.