AWARDING DEGREES IN LEARNING EXCLUDING CHARACTER ASSESSMENT: MAIN CAUSE OF CRISES IN NIGERIAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

Tertiary institutions in Nigeria are said to be awarding degrees and diplomas in character and learning. However, empirical observation has shown that the claim is hardly true in practice. Experience shows that no character assessment is done by the institutions. As for learning, a thorough assessment is usually carried out via strictly conducted academic examinations, tests, and assignments. Meanwhile, the character that boarders on students’ personal qualities, leadership qualities, physical and mental abilities, social interactions, resourcefulness in terms of initiative, and creativity are never assessed. Hence, most students’ conduct and behaviour on campus are observed to be appalling except for a negligible few. The university administrations have not made any arrangements to assess any aspect of the character of the students. Consequently, the students too have developed careless attitudes about their conduct and behaviour towards those they interact with, laterally and vertically upwards as well as downwards. This paper tried to find out if non-character assessment and evaluation in our tertiary institutions is not responsible for poor discipline, moral decadence, and even cultism. This paper employed a descriptive survey research design as a guide and then collected primary and secondary data using a structured questionnaire. Then the data was qualitatively analysed using simple percentages. The results revealed that non-assessment and evaluation of students’ character in universities during the learning process are responsible for disciplinary-related crises on university campuses in Nigeria. The panacea is recommended to be an introduction to character assessment of students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.