{"id":2197,"date":"2026-07-24T12:29:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T11:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=2197"},"modified":"2026-07-24T12:29:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T11:29:32","slug":"opinion-the-reading-under-pressure-among-students-on-campuses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=2197","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: The Reading Under Pressure Among Students On Campuses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Oluchi Igboma<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I haven’t started reading yet.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a sentence that echoes through lecture halls, hostels, cafeterias, and faculty corridors every semester. Ironically, it is often spoken by students just a few days before examinations. The library, which has remained almost deserted for months, suddenly becomes overcrowded. Lecture notes and textbooks that gathered dust throughout the semester suddenly become the most valuable possessions to students. They abandon sleep, survive on coffee and energy drinks, and convince themselves that one week\u2014or even one night\u2014of “serious reading” can replace months of consistent study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most students automatically believe that reading one week before examinations will guarantee good results because, by then, they must have crammed the entire course outline. Others believe that studying consistently for months before examinations is the surest path to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has become the culture on many campuses\u2014a culture where reading is no longer a habit but an emergency response. It is a dangerous academic syndrome that deserves serious attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The university was never designed to produce students who read only because examinations are around the corner. Higher education is meant to develop critical thinkers, innovators, and problem-solvers. Sadly, many students have reduced education to one mission: “Pass the examination, forget the content, and move on to the next semester.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some even proudly describe themselves as “exam readers.” They believe they perform best only under pressure. While this may sound impressive among friends, it is a habit that quietly weakens the very purpose of education. Reading under pressure may help a student scrape through an examination, but it rarely builds lasting knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The signs are everywhere. Weeks before examinations, lecture halls are half empty, libraries have vacant seats, and many students postpone studying because there always seems to be “tomorrow.” Yet once the examination timetable is released, panic spreads across campus like wildfire. Hostels become reading centres throughout the night. Students photocopy hundreds of pages within hours, believing they can cram an entire semester’s work in a single night. Phones begin circulating past questions, while group discussions become desperate attempts to cover an entire semester in just a few nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, education does not work that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowledge is not something that suddenly appears because fear has invited it. It grows through consistency, regular study, research, and genuine curiosity to learn more. A student who studies gradually throughout the semester develops understanding, confidence, and analytical ability. On the other hand, the student who depends on last-minute reading often relies more on memory than understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading under pressure robs students of sleep, peace of mind, and confidence. It is now common to find students awake until dawn, struggling to learn what should have been mastered over several months. Some enter examination halls physically present but mentally exhausted because of the intense cramming they did the previous night. Others experience panic attacks, forget familiar concepts, or leave the examination hall convinced they have failed, saying, “I no go kpai myself. Anything wey wan happen, make e happen abeg.”<\/em> Yet they had months to prepare but failed to use that time wisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more disturbing is the fact that this culture has fueled the rate of examination malpractice. Desperation pushes some students into dishonest practices simply because they know they are unprepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The campus is filled with brilliant minds. The problem is not always intelligence\u2014it is attitude. Many students possess the ability to excel but surrender to procrastination, social media distractions, and poor time management. Hours disappear on short videos on TikTok, Instagram, X, and Threads. Endless chats and entertainment consume valuable time while textbooks remain unopened, exactly where they were left weeks or even months earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology itself is not the enemy. The real enemy is our inability to manage it. A student who spends five hours every day scrolling through social media cannot honestly claim there is no time to study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This culture has also created a dangerous misunderstanding of academic success. Many students celebrate high grades without asking an important question: “What have I actually learned so far?”<\/em> Passing an examination should never be mistaken for acquiring an education. Certificates may open doors, but competence is what keeps those doors open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lecturers also have a role to play. Learning should not revolve around one final examination alone. Continuous assessments, practical projects, presentations, and interactive classroom discussions encourage students to engage with their studies from the beginning of the semester rather than waiting until the end. Universities should also invest in academic counselling programmes that teach effective study habits and time management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents and guardians are not left out either. Instead of measuring success solely by grades, they should encourage genuine learning and intellectual growth. The pressure to obtain excellent results sometimes drives students toward unhealthy academic habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe that the greatest tragedy is not that students read under pressure to pass examinations, but that many have accepted it as a normal part of university life. Until we replace a culture of panic with a culture of preparation, we will continue producing graduates who pass examinations but struggle to apply what they have learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my opinion, true education is not about passing examinations but about developing the ability to think critically, solve problems, and contribute meaningfully to society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also strongly believe that no student is naturally a “last-minute reader.” It is simply a habit developed through procrastination and poor time management. Students should create disciplined and realistic study timetables and stick to them. Breaking study sessions into smaller, regular periods makes learning easier and less stressful. Students should also set aside at least one or two hours each day for studying instead of waiting until examinations are near.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If students embrace this routine, they can gradually break the habit of reading under pressure and build a healthier academic culture that promotes genuine learning rather than mere survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oluchi Igboma<\/strong> is a 200-level Journalism student at Delta State University, Abraka. She is passionate about writing, creativity, and informing the public through compelling stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Oluchi Igboma “I haven’t started reading yet.” It is a sentence that echoes through lecture halls, hostels, cafeterias, and faculty corridors every semester. Ironically, it is often spoken by students just a few days before examinations. The library, which has remained almost deserted for months, suddenly becomes overcrowded. Lecture notes and textbooks that gathered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":16,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[585,25,26,582,586],"class_list":["post-2197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trendingnews","tag-campus-life","tag-delsu","tag-education","tag-feature-opinion","tag-reading-and-study"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2199,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197\/revisions\/2199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}