On the 21st February 2022, SS3 students visited Nile University and were divided into two groups; Art students and Science students. Mr. Francis who gave the students a tour of the University welcomed us. Nile University of Nigeria is a private multi-disciplinary university established in 2009 and located in Abuja. The University is a member of the Honours United Universities Network and accredited by the National Universities Commission.
The purpose of this visit was to prepare the students for higher institution. Visiting university campus can impact students’ views on higher education, and also affect a student’s decisions in secondary school, according to a working paper out of the University of Arkansas’s College of Education and Health Professions. The working paper’s findings, released in February, found that about half of learners in middle school living near the University of Arkansas had ever visited a college campus. Doing so boosted their chances of talking to a school staff member about university, in addition to the research, 9th grade learners took higher-level courses after visiting the university however, it didn’t’t raise the rate at which they planned to enrol in a University. In today’s world, where applicant pools are hyper-competitive, students are charged with making themselves stand out to admissions officials. And if they visit a school and know what it’s looking for, they may feel more compelled and motivated to push themselves academically — just as the Arkansas middle-schoolers did in signing up for more advanced classes in 9th grade.
We at El-Amin encourage other schools in Abuja to organise visits to university for their students, we extended excursions this term to SS2 students as well. On Wednesday 15th June, 2022, SS 2 students visited Baze University, Abuja. Welcomed by officials who introduced the learners, accompanying teachers and staff members to the University. The tour started with the biotechnology department were the students were introduced to biotechnology, after a brief lecture some questions were asked by the learners. All the questions were adequately answered before heading to the next stop at the human anatomy department where students were shown real human bones and organs- such as a persevered heart, brain and liver. The learners were shown the museum where all dead bodies are kept for practical, observation and organ harvest. The students also visited the physiology laboratory, where they were shown different types of microscopes and stethoscope. It was impressive that the university had a fictional histology laboratory, where tissue processing and cellular structure is carried out.
Students were also taken to the new Baze University Hospital, a major department in the hospital is radiology, were we were shown a C.T scan, x-ray and ultra sound machines. The tour of the hospital ended with a visit to the pathology section. After then, we were taken to the quantity surveying room where students were shown the various tools used in the department. Questions pertaining to the subjects required to study quantity surveyor and the uses of various surveying equipment. The final department visited was the law department.
By : Durojaiye Nabila
(SS 2 Learner)