It is a fact that Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is a science based institution, but this should not be the reason why the social sciences which dubbed as the biggest faculty on campus be ‘neglected’.
It is very sad and pathetic to see how intellectuals of the faculty have to struggle in a disorganized and unceremonious way just to enter the various lecture rooms, and it comes as no news for students under this faculty should a stampede result from this action.
One of the biggest and most utilized lecture rooms is the Old Laundry, yet this venue does not beseem a classroom stature. Everything about this venue is inversely related to academia, as the venue is confronted with so many challenges.
In this day and era, and in a technological institution, it is very ridiculous to see students struggle over chairs and tables, and worse of it, the chairs and tables are dispersed length and breadth of the class.
They need to be coiffed before class begins, which sometimes takes part of the lecture time, and this creates a lot of discommode to both the lecturers and the students.
The technical noise caused by the Public Address (PA) system also aggravates the problem for students. Students hardly hear the words being uttered by the lecturers due to the poor nature of the sound. This really drains one’s academic performance.
The ambulance station which is also sited around the old laundry doesn’t make the venue conducive for studies. The movement of the ambulance and other vehicles around the venue causes a lot of distractions to students.
In several instances, classes are held up several minutes for the sounds to die down before the class continues. Carpentry works around the venue virtually every day adds up to the already perturbing noise.
The Central Classroom Block (CCB), which is predominately used by the social sciences, is quite small in relation to the large classes of the social sciences. Some students are compelled to stand outside to listen to the lecturers due to the limited spaces. For the few students who have opportunity to enter and unfortunately sit at the back also have problems viewing what is on the board. These discrepancies really have a tone on their performances.
The Lecture Theatre (LT) unarguably is the most conducive lecture venue for the social sciences. Despite the comfort and the student friendly nature of the venue, a lot of heat is accumulated in the room, especially in the afternoon which makes the learning process a little cumbersome.
In spite of the numerous complaints by the social scientists to have the air condition operational, all their efforts have been futile.
Most of the poor performances by the social scientists can largely be attributed to the poor state of the lecture venues. This story is completely different from the other faculties, and as a vital human resource, one needs a good and conducive environment to study, in order to make a meaningful impact on her society and environment at large.
My humble plea is for authorities to have a second look at the venues and as a matter of urgency put structures in place to curb this worrying problem of the social sciences.
