VOLUNTEERING IN THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN: THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT DUE

A session in the University of Ibadan does not just comprise of the twenty-six - now twenty-two - weeks of lecturers. There are activities organized by student organizations, faculties, departments, halls religious organizations, and so on. None of these activities planned are successful because of the efforts of the committees created for these events.

The University of Ibadan, the citadel of learning, is known as the first and the best and does its best to live up to that name, not just in academic activities but also in sports and social events. These activities are not just organized in faculties, departments, and halls but also by organizations in the University.

To ensure the smooth running of these events, committees are set up and a call for volunteers is made as the organizers of these events cannot do this on their own. In other circumstances, outside the university, perhaps, members of the committee and those responsible for an event’s success are compensated in one way or another. But here, at the university, these committee members offer their time, energy, and expertise to help the organization work more effectively and to contribute to the success of an event.

All halls, faculties, departments, and student organizations within the University rely very heavily on volunteers as most of the time, they can’t afford to pay for the jobs done. Volunteers receive no form of compensation for their work. It seems unlikely that things will change at the University of Ibadan and people will get paid for the work that they do. However, there ought to be a reward system for a job well done.

THE REALITY OF VOLUNTEERING IN THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

Students who take on extra responsibilities have to expend a lot of time and energy. They do not do it in the pursuit of monetary prizes or recognition.  They are driven by immense dedication and a sense of responsibility and passion. All courses of study at the University of Ibadan need a considerable number of hours of study, however, these volunteers give this time to the organization. These students make sacrifices although they receive little to no compensation.

VOLUNTEERING IS A REWARD IN AND OF ITSELF

This is not to say that the act of volunteering is not without its merits as volunteering helps to gain valuable experience and a chance to develop the skills learned during volunteering have as much value as the ones gained while in paid positions. Volunteering also improves job prospects and increases the chances of meeting a professional in a preferred field. 

So, it cannot be said that volunteers receive no compensation for their honest hard work. The skills learned and developed while volunteering are indispensable in the job market. Volunteers also receive a certificate at the end of the session.

Although the advantages of volunteering are many, it is still necessary that there is a reward system in place for those who do this thankless job every session. For example, traditionally, in halls of residence, individuals who were on committees or perhaps performed one kind of service or the other in the hall are one of the first considered for accommodation in the hostel, as their efforts led to the success of activities within the hall.

The Hall Warden of Queen Elizabeth Hall spoke on the importance of working for the hall, she told the ladies present that there is a reward for contributions to the hall. This reward system ought to be incorporated by the management as it is an incentive for volunteers; as an increase in volunteers leads to an increase in resources to draw from.