Of Logbook And Internship

The logbook is an essential document in the tertiary
education system in Nigeria. It is a daily/weekly report in the course of an Industrial Training issued by the school to the students.
The universities issue out the logbook in the third year of a full-time degree which lasts for six months, which in the Polytechnic, it is in the first and second year of the Diploma Programme for four and twelve months respectively.
The importance of the logbook cannot be overemphasized as it helps the students be in check of themselves. Interns as we would call them record their actions inline with their specified attachments.
This exercise not only boosts self confidence but encourages hard work and productivity. It is so because correct description of work done and feelings is documented and cross-checked by the supervisor.
An intern feels a sense of responsibility towards his work and superiors as negligence to duty will speak against him after the period of internship has elapsed.
A bad or incomplete record is seen as unseriousness by authorities and it is demeaning to the students and this ofcourse will keep them up and doing.
In productivity, the intern will learn how to make good use of opportunities that is not clearly designed in the work description and this can boost productivity of the organisation making it a give and take thing in which you give back what your learn.
Knowing that the logbook improves the afore mentioned qualities including availability, it is saddening to note that the students do not take it seriously as part of their education.
We have seen cases where after the semester exams when the internship is expected to kick off, our students are loitering about the streets, sleeping at home or involved in non-productive activities. Not excluding the ones who have purchased the logbook.
Proper exposition on why and how they should go about their training period is not given and so they do not understand the vision and run with it.
Not minding the fact that our society today is flooded with half-baked graduates who do not give anything to the society, we are saying this with all humility and love. If not why would a full graduate complain of joblessness when you have learned something for roughly 16 months if you are a HND graduate or six months if you are a Bsc degree holders?
Does this mean that it was all a waste of time and resources? Or negligence of duty or improper training? That is why we are encouraging this logbook exercise as writing down your activities stores them in your memory. Whatever you write you remember and shows you have learned.
Invariably, we would say that our institutions have not encouraged us at all. They have made it difficult for students to get the logbook. They have imposed a bill for its purchase which restricts ownership for those who cannot afford it.
The unwelcoming attitude of those incharge of sale of logbooks also discourages our student as they are made to go through a cumbersome bureaucratic process, The least thing they expect is good attitude.
Institutions have failed to organize seminars to sensitise the students on the importance of their internship and how they should go about it hence there is no adequate information.
They have also failed in supervising the students who are on internship to know if they are doing well and giving out helpful advice.
Sadly enough, it has affected the nation’s growth as graduates cannot give back what they have received. We celebrate people who have improved society and so if this continues we would have nothing to celebrate.
Negligence to the provision and use of the logbook hampers our educational system as mentioned earlier. These days we are taught to attach ourselves to people who can improve our lives and not parasites.
Not only is it detrimental to us, it also leaves us in the back seat of development compared to other countries.
How? We see today that students do not serve where it is beneficial to their course of study but where they just want to fill in gap.
There is nothing wrong in sending a civic engineer student to a construction firm, building site even if it is to carry blocks. But no, internship and logbook have their glory so much so that importance are no longer given to them.
The myth “in a selfish world only the selfish people win” will be debunked if we take into serious consideration the impending need for a boost in our educational system through the use of the logbook.
It will not only improve our students but also our love for humanity and service which we will gladly appreciate as those good values are hard to find these days.
Hard work pays. Let us collectively join hands to fight injustice to students so they can add their own among the comity of nation. Let us work to change society, change the educational system, and boost our economy. This is not just a fight for logbook but a fight for our future.
Okwu is an intern with The Tide.
 

Kellen Okwu