As classrooms swelter with heat at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos, students have spoken up about how the hot weather is making it hard for them to concentrate and learn properly.
The weather temperature at the region where the school is located went up to over 30°C (86°F) on Thursday afternoon, May 9th. This made lots of students bring out hand fans and books to cool themselves down while they were in class.
The Class Governor of National Diploma (ND) 1, Tosin Akinbinu, said that the problem is made worse because the air conditioners in many classes are not working properly, which means there is not enough fresh air coming in.
“Most time we have classes, there isn’t light, and there is a lot of heat. In some cases, we would be asked to consider having lectures outside the class, which is not meant to be cause there would be a lot of distractions and noise coming from the environment,” Tosin revealed.
On his part, the Class Representative of ND 2, Bliss Okperan, disclosed that many of his class members carry bigger bags just to accommodate rechargeable fans to keep themselves cool in class.
“We humbly appeal to the school management to look into this, as learning has been a struggle for some students these past months,” he added.
According to the President of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), Oluwatosin Awelewa, the heat wave is becoming a nationwide concern and bothers on climate change.
He further said, “Students have notified me about [the excess heat in class] or should I say “complained” about it. And also, the school knows about it. The school, according to what I have been told, would love to work on the issue as soon as possible, but the armoured cable that was stolen is a big hindrance to this, not to mention the high cost of fuel. Unfortunately, Ikeja Electric isn’t even helping matters.”
It is worth noting that the recent hot weather has caused health implications for some students.
“I was having difficulty breathing before I came to class due to the chest problem, but the absence of ventilation increased it more. I was in the school clinic throughout before I ordered bolt ride,” HND 1 student Oyindamola Adewoye revealed.
Efforts to reach the Chief Nurse of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Mrs. Triumphant Omotosho, to comment on this issue were futile at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the management had, at a meeting held in April, assured students of a massive facility upgrade coming up soon.
The Registrar, Mrs. Patricia Kalesanwo, had encouraged students to be patient, assuring them that the issues faced would be addressed promptly.
According to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), the current high temperatures in the country will last for some time.
NiMET announced this in a meteorological and climate update published on its official X (formerly Twitter) page. In the message, the organisation also explained the weather’s effects and advised the public on how to handle the situation.
However, there have been frequent downpours in the last week, which could be a sign that the heat wave is gradually reducing.
