Overcrowded Lecture Halls Push OAU Lecturers, Students Outdoors

By Olanrewaju Lawal

Every lecture day, Fatima Hassan, a Part One student of English Language at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), arrives at the lecture hall with a concern shared by many students: the challenge of finding a comfortable seat in the lecture hall. 

Ms Hassan has come to accept overcrowded lecture halls as a normal part of her university experience, and the search for a comfortable seat has become part of her routine when attending lectures. 

On one occasion, she recalled attending a class at the university’s Sports Complex because no lecture rooms were available.

“There were no desks. We had to write on the floor,” she told Campus Reporter.

Her concern mirrored what Adeoluwa Ifetayo, a 300-level Philosophy student at the same university, had experienced many times. 

What should be a basic requirement for learning has become a daily struggle. For many students, like Mr Ifetayo, attending lectures is no longer solely about note-taking and classroom participation but also about the race to secure a comfortable space in overcrowded lecture theatres.

Last semester, Mr Ifetayo said one of his classes was held in the department’s foyer due to the unavailability of a suitable classroom.

“It was a struggle on that day as we stood throughout the class,” Mr Ifetayo said. 

“Most of what the lecturer said that day, I can’t say I understood anything at all. I was just there, waiting for the class to end. I wasn’t even in the right frame of mind throughout the lecture.”

More Students, Same Spaces

Ms Hassan and Mr Ifetayo’s experiences reflect a broad challenge that many students are facing, a reality that has become increasingly common on the campus.

The university has witnessed a steady increase in student enrolment as more qualified candidates seek admission into one of Nigeria’s most sought-after public universities. 

While the expansion has created opportunities for thousands of applicants who might otherwise have been denied admission, it has also stretched existing facilities. 

Lecture theatres, hostels, transportation systems, and other essential infrastructure now serve far more students than they were originally designed to accommodate. The effects are visible in overcrowded classrooms, difficulties in securing lecture venues, congested halls of residence, and a growing dependence on off-campus accommodation. 

Students and Lecturers said the realities are also beginning to shape how courses are taught, assessed, and experienced by students.

Sports complex turned lecture hall

OAU’s Department of Philosophy said it has now taken at least two courses at the university’s Sports Complex instead of a lecture hall.

A senior lecturer at OAU’s Department of Philosophy, Omobola Badejo, told Campus Reporter in May that a general course she coordinates, PHL 104 (Introduction to formal logic), was moved to the Sports Complex since no lecture theatre is capable of accommodating the over 3,000 students who registered for the general course.

Expectedly, Mrs Badejo said students’ turnout for the course has gradually reduced. 

“Initially, there was a large turnout, but due to the unfavourable conditions of the space, attendance dropped significantly, with fewer than 200 students now attending because the venue was not conducive,” she said.

The Head of the Department of Philosophy at OAU, Ndukaku Okorie, said the department also had to use the sports complex for PHL 101 (Introduction to philosophy) last semester.

“Most students struggle throughout the class, let alone grasp what is being taught,” Mr Okorie said.

“Even as a lecturer, I struggle on most occasions, straining my voice just to ensure students hear and understand me.”

He said the recent admission surge raises questions about the university’s capacity to effectively accommodate the students it admits.

“The recent admission surge really baffles one because there are obviously not enough or adequate facilities corresponding to that,” he said.

According to him, the challenge became more pronounced following the closure of the university’s Amphitheatre last year. The Amphitheatre, one of the few venues capable of accommodating large classes, was shut after it was refurbished. With fewer large lecture spaces available, departments have increasingly resorted to alternative venues that were not originally designed for teaching.

In worse situations, Mrs Badejo said classes get cancelled, postponed or scheduled online. But online lectures also have their own challenges.

“Some courses require magic boards to teach effectively,” she said. “There is no provision for this in teleconference rooms. Students cannot ask questions until after lectures, and many cannot even afford to stay online for an hour or more.”

Learning Under Pressure 

Students also told Campus Reporter that overcrowded classrooms, poor ventilation, and inadequate facilities have continued to characterise their learning experience and affect their quality of learning.

“It is always a struggle,” said Mujeedat Adeyemo, a Part Two student of philosophy at OAU.

Ms Adeyemo said the students have, on many occasions, had to stand to receive lectures while others share seats.

“Most times, these classes are overly congested, and classes are cancelled because of this,” she said.

Increased Admission

Mr Okorie, the HOD for the Philosophy department, said the recent admission surge raises questions about the university’s capacity to effectively accommodate the students it admits.

“The recent admission surge really baffles one because there are obviously not enough or adequate facilities corresponding to that,” he said.

Mrs Badejo said students and lecturers now struggle to find lecture halls and cancel classes when there are no suitable spaces available.

“There’s no corresponding increase in infrastructure,” she added.

One day at the ICAN Lecture Theatre, Mrs Badejo said the lecture hall became “intensely hot” that a student collapsed while she was teaching.

“I had to end the class when I started feeling dizzy,” she said. 

“On that day, a student also passed out in the same venue, and we had to rush her to the clinic. God forbid there is an emergency such as a fire outbreak; the outcome could be disastrous.”

‘Increased admission not the problem’

However, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Gbenga Fasiku, a professor, believed that universities shouldn’t shut their doors to qualified applicants. 

Instead, Mr Fasiku said the university has a responsibility to accommodate more qualified candidates in the face of growing demand for higher education.

“There are so many prospective students seeking admission, I mean, qualified students,” he said. 

“There are problems that are envisaged when you have an increase in the number of candidates that come to the university.”

According to him, despite the establishment of hundreds of federal, state, and private universities across the country, the demand for university education continues to outweigh available spaces.

Mr Fasiku said increasing admission figures should not automatically be viewed as a threat to educational quality, but a challenge for universities to continue to improve their facilities and manpower.

The Dean explained ongoing efforts by the university to improve infrastructure through the construction of lecture theatres, employment of staff, and partnerships aimed at addressing accommodation challenges.

“The university is improving its facilities. But I can tell you it’s not likely that you match up facilities with students. It’s not likely these days. Moreover, to support the existing manpower, the university employed more than 741 staff, of which 441 are academic staff,” he explained.

To address some of these challenges, he advocated greater reliance on technology through teleconferencing and computer-based examinations, arguing that physical facilities no longer have to bear the full weight of teaching large classes.

“Universities like the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos and the Obafemi Awolowo University should brace up to accommodate more students so that we will be able to provide quality education to some of these students when they have access,” he said.