At what stage of education are you introduced to the use of the Microscope?

[Idanre Magus]

I work in a West African University, and the way our educational system is set up makes it hard for a person to advance. I was employed with my Ordinary Level Certificate. It was not possible for me to take Advanced Level Exams because (1) Science students have to have Practical Instruction in a recognized institution. (2) One must have the permission of the University to study for extra qualifications, or one may be summarily fired. (3) An employee taking time off for "Study Leave" is entitled to only one year with pay. Subsequent years are without pay.

I spent 20 years as a Junior Non-Academic Staff Worker before being promoted to senior staff, whereupon I was granted access to the library. Junior Staff workers are not allowed to enter into the University Library- except the Library Junior Staff and cleaners. Senior staff members are allowed access, on producing their ID and can then apply for the Library Card. I applied twice for library card as a Junior staff after five and 15 years' service and was denied both times. "Whatever is a Junior Staff going to do in the Library?" laughed my Department Director, Dr. Odu-, before he countersigned my application.

Now, having put in 30 years, and still a "Junior" Senior Staff (we don't get to vote for Vice-Chancellor, or other officers,) I am now prevailed upon to help train.something we call "I.T. Students."

Industrial Trainees are sent by their schools to work in some office, to pick up practical skills- of which they will have little or none from the Universities where they study thus far. Please note that Education is very expensive in our country, yet our students are very stupid, beyond what you would readily believe.

The students placed in our care are Year III of five year courses.
Mine are Microbiology students. After a couple of years, should they be employed in my department, I should be obliged to call them "Boss," "Sir," "Ma'am," and take any guff they see fit feed me.

I regard myself as a good Christian and a loyal patriot. I was offered a chance to be promoted during the late 1990s. All I had to do was take a Course during office hours, and in a couple of years I would be a senior staff. I took the course, and in the first year final exam, we had some students come in who were not in the class, but were going to take the exam with us.

The teaching was very shoddy, and I was like the only one who was really studying.
I was to find out why: When it was time for the Exam, the Coordinator ripped the seals on the Exam Papers, and had us briefed the day before the exam on what questions were coming out. I could not believe my ears. During the practical exam, we were blatantly told what to write, and were not allowed to measure any chemicals ourselves, being told not to bother.

When I insisted on doing my own work myself, I was bawled out by the coordinator.
Since this was a clear-cut case of fraud, I reported everything to my Director, Dr. Ona- who bawled me out, that, "This is what is done in every Faculty of every University in the country: Who Are You to want to change the System?" I was told in as many words, that if I did not go back and do what I was told, I would not be promoted. I did not resume that fake course, and I was not promoted.

I could now see that something similar was going on with our "Industrial Trainees."
They were merely here so that someone would tick something off on a clipboard,
and affirm that they indeed "Did this Course."

The first thing I was to ask my students is: "Have you ever handled a microscope before?"

These are people whose life career is supposed to be Microbiology.
Actually, they are here mainly to get a degree, so they can have a higher employment value as a "graduate.' Graduates who fail to secure employment with their Bachelor's Degree, go back to University to earn their Master's Degree- and may even be allowed to gain admission in a University abroad.

Every one of the students sent to us for I.T. Training never handled a microscope in their lives.
A couple may have told me that they got to touch one a couple of times.

In an old bookshop, I dug up an out-of-print book that was written like in the 1940s: ADVENTURES WITH A MICROSCOPE. I showed it to my students and asked them to guess what level of student this book was aimed for.

They always guessed "High School!" or "University!"
They were shocked speechless when I told them that where I was born (England), such books were considered Primary School hobbyist material. My Nanny's niece had a microscope of her own at age 9. (No one ever saw fit to buy me one.)

None of these "students" (I have never tested all of them, however,) could identify Red Blood Cells under the microscope! In one case, one such student watched me prepare the slide, and wh
en I asked him to look in the eyepiece and tell me what he saw, he replied that he did not know what he was looking at!

Nor would they practice preparing and looking at specimens, when I gave them the run of the lab.
One would have expected, that given the opportunity to use laboratory tools for the first time in their lives, they should be enthusiastically looking at everything in sight under the microscope- tap water, leaves, insects, vegetables, bread, lunch, palm wine- everything. But there is little or no interest at all. All assignments are seen as chores, even punishments!
These people are supposed to have picked Microbiology for a career?
Many people who read Microbiology go work in our banks- as clerks.
(It is easier to rob your own bank if your employees do not even understand the job.)

A Minister of Education we had once went on record as declaring that 90% of Graduates were unemployable. A similar situation obtains in all the fields, you see. When they graduate, very few of them can use their courses for anything.

 

[Ted K]

Way too long. Who the hell wants to wade through all that? Cut your question down to the essentials, and save your life story for when you write your memoirs after getting your Nobel Prize.

I got my first cheap one from my Mom and Dad when I was about 6 or 7, and I spent many hours looking at protozoa in drops of pond water from our backyard. It was all downhill from there.

 

[emucompboy]

> At what stage of education are you introduced to the use of the Microscope?

I was lucky to have some at home, and I played with them mostly age 10-12.

The "Gifted Program" had some projection microscopes. Students age 9-11 could use them.

For people not in the gifted program, there was limited exposure to microscopes in 8th grade science (age 13), 10th grade biology (age 15). Students in high school physiology classes and AP Biology could actually get to use microscopes (ages 16-17).