By Dayo Adesulu, Daud Olatunji, Tare Youdeowei, Elizabeth Uwandu & Kelechukwu Iruoma

BELIEVE it or not, first class graduates are still the most sort after when it comes to securing jobs in both private and public sector. Resource Managers, whose job it is to recruit workers, believe that first class graduates from the university must be the best hand for any job.  Although, many times, the second class upper and second class lower division graduates, in practical terms, have proved them wrong.

A cross section of University graduates

Statistical data across universities have revealed that first class graduates are more from science faculties than Arts and Humanities faculties. People, especially students and parents often wonder why it is pretty difficult for many arts students to make first class.

Causative agents

Lecturers and students who spoke to our Correspondents pointed out some causative agents bedevilling Arts students.

According to them, lecturers who didn’t graduate with a first class degree find it difficult to award an ‘A’ for a course that was well written by a brilliant student, adding that the best grade they can give is B.

Again, the argument of many Arts lecturers on why they cannot give any student an A, as stated by some students, is that  students of Arts Departments are studying courses that are not exhaustible. In order words, lecturers in Arts departments don’t believe a student can be extraordinary enough to have an A in their course, no matter what he or she writes.

Thus, they either look for a way of reducing students’ marks by applying mechanical accuracy. Where two plus two  is 4 in sciences and engineering departments, errors of dotting the ‘Is’ and crossing the ‘Ts’ are heavily penalised in Arts courses thereby reducing their CGPA.

Besides, it was disclosed that failure of some lecturers to update their academic knowledge also limits students from conductin research on subjects that the lecturers have limited understanding.

Such bottle-necks in citadels of learning have resulted in some lecturers warning students not to  give answers beyond the textbooks he or she  recommended. ”Give me what I taught you,” is the slogan of such lecturers as they are afraid their students will know more than them.

Reacting to why first class is scarce in Arts, Head of  Mass  Communication  Department,  Crescent University,  Abeokuta,  Dr. Kola Adesina said the most obvious reason it is easier to get marks in courses that involve calculation is that once the student gets the formular right,  he will get the score.

Adesina  said; “Arts and Humanities depend on cognitive reasoning. Ability to reason well. Some good lecturers will demand that the  students read in and outside the courses to express themselves.

“It is very rare in Art courses like that because it involves writing.

“Four plus four in most cases is eight and two minus two in most cases is zero. But, in Arts,  there are no definite answers. They are no yes or  no answers . The answers are not straight forward.”

While sharing his opinion on the issue, a senior lecturer of Religious studies at Tai Solarin University of Education, Oyesanya Oyekola said being an examiner, he has observed that the Arts courses are complex,  saying,  it is easier to have first class in applied and social sciences.

He said; “Once you follow a laid down procedure it is easy to get first class in sciences. But, in Arts, the bulk of activities is writing. And how can a student get the mind of the examiner who will look at the issue same way the students looks at it.

“The ability to convince the examiner in the exam answer is a big factor. The ability to speak the minds of the examiner is what is required. It takes the ingenuity,  creativity and brilliance of a student to speak the minds of the examiners. It is rare”,Oyekola said.

In his reaction, Director of School of Communication and Information Technology , Moshood Abiola Polytechnic,  Abeokuta,Dr. Raufu, first class is not what any student can get easily. First class graduates are special a breed of students. Getting first class involves a lot of consistence. Consistence from the day you start university education.

Creativity and brilliance

He said “I do not think it is right to say that first class graduates are scarce in Arts and social sciences, but are  common in the sciences, but to actually agree that, is to begin to assume that the sciences are the simpler and easier.

“All fields are equally technical, it requires skill, zeal and energy for the students to actually get the best out of the University.

“When sciences produce more first class than the social sciences followed by Art, its because the arts doesn’t actually produce as many of first class materials like other fields. The reasons are simple.

“In sciences what we  have is experiment and  it can give you your result immediately and nobody can question you. But in  Arts, one thing is very critical that you must be a consistent person in terms of understanding your courses. You may not be able to get first class if you are relaxing”.

A senior Technologist, Biological Science Department of Tai Solarin University of Education,Tajudeen Uthman explained  that science courses  are technical and the approach to teaching is multidimensional.

Approach to teaching

He said,  apart from the method of lecture that is being used for every science course, there are always practical aspects which aid understanding. “The application of the course is related to the day-to-day activities as they learn in the class they also learn on the street. Arts courses are usually voluminous whereas, sciences are not only reading and understand, but the students are expected to practicalise.”

Dr. Michael Ukonu, a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said, “Intelligence is easier to define in the sciences than in the Arts. Once you are intelligent, it is straight to the point, especially because water will always boil at 100 degrees once you apply heat to it continuously. But in the Arts, it is less so. You need to be super intelligent to think the way your teacher is thinking. Arts vary according to conditions, circumstances, emotions.

“To this extent, you need to be super intelligent to actually get it right the same way your lecturer is thinking. Even one question, there can be as many different answers as there are students. But once you are given formula in Mathematics or a design in engineering, you follow it and get to the same destination. Those who are intelligent there know the rules and they get it right. Humanities are not as exact as the sciences.”

Speaking on the reasons why there are few first class graduates from Arts, Professor Gloria Monica Tobechukwu Emezue,  Dean Faculty of Humanities, Federal University  Ndufu  Alike  Ikwo, FUNAI said that for students to emerge as First Class graduates in humanities,  they have to be perfect in grammar and expression of ideas.

Emezue said that most times, either incorrect grammar or illogical expression of ideas to a given question prevents students from being the best in Arts. She said: ” In other disciplines,  not that they don’t look at grammar.

But, it so happens that in Humanities, the language matters a lot.  So you find out that if you want to be fantastic, you have to be grammatically and logically sound in marshaling your arguments. To be able to convince your lecturers, you have to master the mechanism of grammar and expression which come from extensive reading and studying a lot. ”

Emezue added that for a student to be a First Class graduate,  he has to compete with not only on how to write well,  but compete with the distraction from social media.

Also, a  2.1 student of Faculty of Arts, Department of English, who refused his name in print said that it will forever be difficult to award First Class in Arts,  being that it is a multi-dimensional discipline. and because of some sadists in Arts,especially English department.

His words,  ” In as much as it is difficult to award professional title in mathematics. It will forever be difficult to award First Class in Arts. The reason is Arts is multi-dimensional and some lecturers there are sadists, especially in English department. ”

Citing an instance,  the graduate said that in the department of Philosophy,  some lecturers said that it will be impossible for any student to attain the zenith of philosophical dexterity that would warrant a first class.

He, however, said that the situation is not the same in Theatre Arts department as students and lecturers enjoyed ‘ father to son/ daughter relationship.  ” In my own days as undergraduate, students are award marks as the lecturers most times benefited from them financially and romantically.