My nairalanders,

Please, I need some advice from you yet again. My sister is in a very difficult predicament in London and I don't know how to help her out of this wahala...any constructive and actionable advice will be greatly appreciated.

A little bit of background:

My elder sister has been studying for a Bachelor's in the public health field at a university in London for the past 3 years. These 3 years have been exceedingly difficult for her. Our uncle and aunty pledged to support her financially through the program but every semester when the time would come to pay school fees, come and see fight and struggle. The girl had to beg and plead with them and do all manner of things to get them to pay up. Worse, because they were paying her fees, they took it as an excuse to convert her into a 24-hr nanny, maltreat her, etc. This semester she had a very stubborn American professor who made her life and those of some of her classmates very difficult (she had favorites). One day she threw my sister out of class on test day because she walked in a few minutes late (through no fault of her own) and eventually removed my sister from her module's roster. She maltreated so many students that a group of them lodged a formal complaint against her. Under pressure, the woman evenutually re-enrolled my sister in the course.

Fast forward a few months. My sister had pretty much completed all the coursework for her degree and was on track to finish with a second class upper. All that was remaining was for her to submit one essay to this American professor. My sister slaved away at this essay for a solid two weeks - she wasn't picking me or my mother's calls because she was so focused, she wanted to finish well. She then submitted the essay only to find out a week later that the essay was not graded and she did not receive a mark for the module.She spoke to the professor and the reason she gave was that the essay was supposed to be submitted electronically AND in hard-copy - my sister had only submitted it electronically. My sister had missed the portion of the syllabus that read that it had to be submitted in hard-copy as well, an innocent and honest mistake.

The woman has refused to mark the course point-blank and the university is now insisting that my sister resit that entire module next term (beginning February). The problem? 1) my sister's student visa is expiring in November, 2)my uncle and aunty have withdrawn all financial support from her and will certainly not be ready to pay for an additional term, 3)if she takes one module, she'll be considered a part-time student and thus ineligible for a visa, 4)she's barely managing to feed right now talk less of paying visa application and tuition fees. The school has offered to give her a basic degree, as in 3rd class, but my sister refused because it's an insult - if you know what she has been through these past few years?! It's a miracle that she stayed in school talk less of getting a 2:1. She spoke to a lady at the international student office and the lady said that she cannot help her because the directions for essay submission were very clear. What's more, she said that if my sister appeals the decision, she will have no choice but to bring evidence against her.

Me, I think the American professor has a personal vendetta against my sister for reporting her. She picked my sister as the scapegoat becaause she was the only one in the group (that complained) who is not a British national. They are playing with my sister's life and future and it's simply not fair!

Can anyone please advise us here? Justwise? Anyone?
Who can we talk to or appeal to? Is there any room for legal recourse? These people have chopped 3 years of my sister's tuition money - they can't do this to her now!

I know how some of you Nairalanders are. Please, only reasonable responses okay? Try and stay on-topic. If you want to laugh at my sister's misfortune or question why she's remaining in the UK or insult the two of us join, kindly backtrack out of this thread. You don't know us, you don't know our story, you don't know our circumstances, you don't know nothing! Thank you.

Touching story

Sad, sad, sad. I wish I were in a position to offer any kind of help.

But I'll pray for her because I believe God can turn her situation around and you will have a testimony in Jesus name (amen).

Let us declare a 7 days' prayer and fasting.God has done something similar for me but I had to fast for three days.

Dunno if other people will like us to move it to the christian section cos we will need her full name, name of the lecturer and her guardian for the operation.

12go: Dunno if other people will like us to move it to the christian section cos we will need her full name, name of the lecturer and her guardian for the operation.

Collect third class and move on. She shouldn't waste anymore time in the school.

Goodluck!

I think what this guy needed here is a very good advice especially from our people in the uk. I plead that to gain that important advice, justwise and co, plz move this to front page. But my brother, what i want to ask is these, since the lecturer didn't mark here essay, is it a final decision or can something be salvaged from it?

Elaineh: My nairalanders,

Please, I need some advice from you yet again. My sister is in a very difficult predicament in London and I don't know how to help her out of this wahala...any constructive and actionable advice will be greatly appreciated.

A little bit of background:

My elder sister has been studying for a Bachelor's in the public health field at a university in London for the past 3 years. These 3 years have been exceedingly difficult for her. Our uncle and aunty pledged to support her financially through the program but every semester when the time would come to pay school fees, come and see fight and struggle. The girl had to beg and plead with them and do all manner of things to get them to pay up. Worse, because they were paying her fees, they took it as an excuse to convert her into a 24-hr nanny, maltreat her, etc. This semester she had a very stubborn American professor who made her life and those of some of her classmates very difficult (she had favorites). One day she threw my sister out of class on test day because she walked in a few minutes late (through no fault of her own) and eventually removed my sister from her module's roster. She maltreated so many students that a group of them lodged a formal complaint against her. Under pressure, the woman evenutually re-enrolled my sister in the course.

Fast forward a few months. My sister had pretty much completed all the coursework for her degree and was on track to finish with a second class upper. All that was remaining was for her to submit one essay to this American professor. My sister slaved away at this essay for a solid two weeks - she wasn't picking me or my mother's calls because she was so focused, she wanted to finish well. She then submitted the essay only to find out a week later that the essay was not graded and she did not receive a mark for the module.She spoke to the professor and the reason she gave was that the essay was supposed to be submitted electronically AND in hard-copy - my sister had only submitted it electronically. My sister had missed the portion of the syllabus that read that it had to be submitted in hard-copy as well, an innocent and honest mistake.

The woman has refused to mark the course point-blank and the university is now insisting that my sister resit that entire module next term (beginning February). The problem? 1) my sister's student visa is expiring in November, 2)my uncle and aunty have withdrawn all financial support from her and will certainly not be ready to pay for an additional term, 3)if she takes one module, she'll be considered a part-time student and thus ineligible for a visa, 4)she's barely managing to feed right now talk less of paying visa application and tuition fees. The school has offered to give her a basic degree, as in 3rd class, but my sister refused because it's an insult - if you know what she has been through these past few years?! It's a miracle that she stayed in school talk less of getting a 2:1. She spoke to a lady at the international student office and the lady said that she cannot help her because the directions for essay submission were very clear. What's more, she said that if my sister appeals the decision, she will have no choice but to bring evidence against her.

Me, I think the American professor has a personal vendetta against my sister for reporting her. She picked my sister as the scapegoat becaause she was the only one in the group (that complained) who is not a British national. They are playing with my sister's life and future and it's simply not fair!

Can anyone please advise us here? Justwise? Anyone?
Who can we talk to or appeal to? Is there any room for legal recourse? These people have chopped 3 years of my sister's tuition money - they can't do this to her now!

Let me quickly point out that your sister is eligible to at least 3months visa extension to retake any outstanding module.

I really don't think that your sister told you the whole story because not submitting hard-copy of the assignment will not stop the lecturer from marking or awarding her any mark,the worst case scenario is mark reduction for not submitting hard copy. Electronic submission is even more important than hard copy because if her assignment passes through turn-it-in successfully then its as good as half-marked assignment.

The school will not ask her to retake the whole module just because the lecturer refuses to mark the electronic copy, she should have gone through mitigation team of her school to sort that out. Student union is there for cases like this. What is the name of her school? If you don't mind.

justwise:
Let me quickly point out that your sister is eligible to at least 3months visa extension to retake any outstanding module.

I really don't think that your sister told you the whole story because not submitting hard-copy of the assignment will not stop the lecturer from marking or awarding her any mark,the worst case scenario is mark reduction for not submitting hard copy. Electronic submission is even more important then hard copy because if her assignment passes through turn-it-in successfully then its as good as half-marked assignment.

The school will not ask her to retake the whole module just because the lecturer refuses to mark the electronic copy, she should have gone through mitigation team of her school to sort that out. Student union is there for cases like this. What is the name of her school? If you don't mind.

The BOSS has arrived. He just knack am finish.

The handle I wanna recommend has already done justice to the issue....follow him up.
.
He is good, but could be naughty and haughty sometimes!

Most of those pple we see as aunties and uncles for overseas ehn dem be enemy of progress..dem dey beef ur sister..make ur sista just do anything wey she wan do for that skool commot there go find work commot for that house..she should be thanking God that they have not harmed her sef

There is nothing prayer can not solve,do you believe in God sir? Time to chat and I mean some serious chat with Him,I'll talk to Him about your case too..GOODLUCK!!

(a) fast and pray for three days
(b) write a letter of appeal to the university senate
(c) get a good lawyer to advice you further on the issue
(d) make a complaint to the racial equality commision

A word "sister" appeared 16 times in this ur touching story...does she "sister" not have working permit? Besides I guess ur sis dint tell u d whole story...a lot is missin in dat story

Do you have your sister's permission to oen her yansh to the world??

I want to believe this is fiction and not real because if it is real it is not smart to present personal problems to the world. Most especially Nairaland where,predictably,no solution will come after a few pages of watery waffle

made in nigeria: Most of those pple we see as aunties and uncles for overseas ehn dem be enemy of progress..dem dey beef ur sister..make ur sista just do anything wey she wan do for that skool commot there go find work commot for that house..she should be thanking God that they have not harmed her sef

do you bother to read the post at all?

I don't know how fellas like you think. If you have access to free WIFI kindly use it in watching P0rn.

Do you know what it cost to feed a family in uk?

made in nigeria: Most of those pple we see as aunties and uncles for overseas ehn dem be enemy of progress..dem dey beef ur sister..make ur sista just do anything wey she wan do for that skool commot there go find work commot for that house..she should be thanking God that they have not harmed her sef

You sound exactly like your name! What do you know about paying someones tuition, having a roof over them, and all that for 3yrs in a place like UK?

i will advice she should appeal against the professor's decision. i have seen things like this happen when i was in school. deadline was 3pm and you have to submit e-copy and hard copy together. if you are on the queue at 3.01pm, you wont be allowed in. You will be told you had enough weeks to prepare and finish up and not just on the deadline date.

My advice is for her to appeal against the decision.There is a form you will have to fill to explain why you could not submit on time. This type of thing happened to a guy i know who did not submit on time and was not allowed to submit . He was allowed later but the stamp "late" was kept on his essay. That is 60% gone. He appealed against it (cant remember if this is what its called). He gave lots of reason like sickness,blah blah and stuff and fortunately for him, he went to see a doctor during the time he was doing his report so he provided letter from doctor. He was allowed to re do the project but he did not pay any fee.

Tell your sister to ask around to find out how she can appeal in her school. she has to be smart about it.

Also, your sister wont pay full tuition fee if its just one module.

TRANSFER HER BACK TO FRESH AIR.

O boy your story dey somehow....comeooo...must she school abroad?what about all the good federal unis in naija??...nawaoh..methinks its better to be a lion in the jungle than a dog in the city....let her kuku take the 3.1 result or repeat the year....thats the kind of stuff ones sees in a foreign land...kpele

Elaineh: I know how some of you Nairalanders are. Please, only reasonable responses okay? Try and stay on-topic. If you want to laugh at my sister's misfortune or question why she's remaining in the UK or insult the two of us join, kindly backtrack out of this thread. You don't know us, you don't know our story, you don't know our circumstances, you don't know nothing! Thank you.

you cant help it...97% of NLanders me inclusive will derail...live with it.

See how people kill themselves all in the name to stay abroad! Na wa o!

Anyway, all I can suggest is that she appeals to the school and see what they say or take the degree they award her and move on with her life, than do the whole year again, with money she doesn't have. Things are tough in the UK so try and understand why your relatives might be finding it difficult to fork out, especially such amount. And don't forget it's not just school fees....there's books travel, etc!

It was a mistake on her part, yes but is it something they should crucify with? She can use what is going on at home to try explain why she may not have read the instructions properly.

When they got her electronic copy and hadn't seen a hard copy why did they not email her, or something?
And why is the lecturer students have complained about still in the school?

What school is this? I am interested in knowing cos they seem really evil.

Kinda reminds me of my own situation in a way, but it's all good. Everything happens for a reason.

I just want to hug your sis and assure her that all will be well in due time. xx

aribisala0: Do you have your sister's permission to oen her yansh to the world??

I want to believe this is fiction and not real because if it is real it is not smart to present personal problems to the world. Most especially Nairaland where,predictably,no solution will come after a few pages of watery waffle

I used to think the way u think before but with time av discovered that in as much as NL has a lot of stupid clowns, NL still has a lot of reasonable people that can give u real advice when needed.

Let her appeal.

My dear the best thing to do just now is to get down on your knees and talk to Jesus that Is the only solution, he will definitely hear you. He has never lost a battle he will not lose this one

@poster:
First of all am disappointed in the way you addressed your uncle/his family who your sister stayed with in UK. You only told us what your sister told you! We didn't hear from your uncle or his wife. I don't think they're that wicked to ask your sister to stay home and babysit on the days she have classes and babysitting in UK or US is no big deal for most family. Everybody work with eachother's schedule to know who will be with the Kids when others are gone! I babysit, my wife does, my mom does, and my wife's sister did too for about 10months when she was living with us. You don't expect this folks to help in paying your sister's school fees (with smile or tears on the face which ever) and still pay for daycare even on days your sister could be of assistance?
Also, am disappointed in your sister for presenting this folks as bad people to you! And most of all for still depending on them after 3 whole years! She's lucky to have someone pay her tuition (2 semester a year) for 3yrs and have roof over her head eventhough she didn't appreciate it.
Having said that, the school system here is not like naija where the lecturer decide or have control of your life and future. Like someone rightly said, the worst that should happen is take out some points from her grade. Even if she end up with a C in that class that won't stop her from graduating. As per appealing, she'll have to prove that the lecturer treated her differently and acted out of what she had in her handout which in this case you sister (Abi Na you lol) didn't follow instruction! All the same Goodluck to her!

Tell her to hire those Jamaican boyz, I swear the professor go soji. which kind thing be dis?

Rhino.5dm:
Tell her to hire those Jamaican boyz, I swear the professor go soji. which kind thing be dis?

Is that what you call appeal in Naija sir?

@ OP


Every University worth their salt has strict guidelines, deadline, penalties about coursework and essays which EVERY student has to follow, so this has nothing to do with your Sister's Lecturer beefing her.


Your Sister dropped the ball bigtime. How can a final year student not be aware of the need to submit electronic and hard copy of her finals. The electronic copy is for the school record and to detect plagiarism, whilst the hard copy is the main the main as far as the Lecturer is concerned "because" this is what they get to feel, touch and smell and probably or.gasm over, or don't you see how they redot every I's and cross every t's and don't you see their red pen and comment leaving no stones unturned!!!


Moreover, what did she attach her "coversheet" to, if she did not submit the hard copy!!!


The deed has been done and I guess she was late in putting in for an extension or appeal "hence" reason she was awarded the "automatic" zero marks earmarked for such slip ups.


The only recourse available is to either accept the generous 3rd class offer, resit next year as advised or take it to the Lord in prayer for nothing is too difficult for the most High God.

from "story" your sister has three options
1)take the 3rd class and move on with life ,in order to save time ,money and hardship
2)retake the module which starts in feb and ook up to God to pay her fees ,and achieve a higher grade
3)go to the panel and present her case maybe God will touch their heart and they will consider her
but in my own view from your "story" i think she should collect the 3rd class and accept it as destiny or should i say fate