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10 Causes of Carryover in Higher Institutions: Why You Must Avoid Carryover at All Costs

Carryover is normal for students at higher institutions. It means a student has unfinished work to do. A student can only carry a course if he or she scored less than 40 (39 or lower) in total.

Carryover doesn’t always reflect how intelligent or brilliant a student is; rather, it shows how unserious and careless a student is. Not all carryovers are connected to unseriousness, because I have seen students who are highly intelligent and brilliant and yet still carry over a course.

Carryover is an issue every student always prays not to have when results are released. Carryover doesn’t know whether you are a fresh or old student, which is why you must avoid it at all costs. In this article, POLY TV will explain in detail the causes and reasons why students carry over a course and why you must avoid it at all costs.

1. ATTENDANCE.

Some lecturers award marks for punctuality, and most higher institutions in Nigeria have a constitution that states that “A student can only be passed if S/he meets 75% of attendance.” Even if you score up to 100 in your examination, the school reserves the right to fail you if you didn’t meet the minimum percentage for attendance if it is in their constitution. Sometimes you will hear students say, “I answered every question correctly yet still failed.” If you want to avoid carryover at all costs, first you must be punctual with your attendance by ensuring that you don’t miss any of your lectures.

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2. PRACTICALS.

In some schools, especially schools of engineering and science, practical work carries 20–40% of the marks while theory carries 60%. Some of these courses take the submission of practical work seriously. Ensure that you carry out your practicals yourself and submit them on time. Some students overlook this, and this can cause them to carry over the course.

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3. ASSIGNMENT.

If you want to avoid carryover at all costs, then make sure you do all your assignments and submit them. Some lecturers can decide to use one of their assignments as a test, and this can be added to your CA or as a bonus mark. Assignments have helped a lot of students avoid carryover.

During my undergraduate days at the polytechnic, there was this lecturer who always gave us assignments every time he lectured, only to tell us at the end of the semester that he would use his assignments as a test, and that was how many students carried the course over back then.

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4. TEXTBOOK/HANDOUT.

Nigerian lecturers don’t joke with their handouts and textbooks. Whether you like it or not, you must buy it, and if you prove stubborn, they will make sure you carry the course. If a lecturer mandates his textbook, make sure you buy it because it comes with a free mark. I could still remember how my friend carried over a course because she refused to buy the lecturer’s textbook. Even if you are intelligent or brilliant, that isn’t enough to avoid carryover in higher institutions. Make sure you buy their textbooks and handouts.

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5. EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES.

Many students love to score high grades without studying; thus, they engage in exam malpractices that prevent most of them from graduating. In many higher institutions in Nigeria, the penalty for examination malpractices if caught is carryover and, in some cases, expulsion. If you don’t want carryover, just do your best and pray to God to crown your efforts.

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6. MISSING SCRIPTS.

As stated earlier, not all carryovers are connected to unseriousness. In this case, it is not the fault of the students but the examination body that collated the answer scripts. Some scripts may be missing with other departments. In this situation, I will advise you to ensure that you submit your scripts to the appropriate desk after your examination. To avoid situations like this, make sure you sign in and out and fill in the serial number on your booklet on the attendance list given to you in the examination hall.

One of my friends whose exam booklet was missing went to the dean’s office to complain, and the issue was fixed. If your paper is missing, make sure you report it to the appropriate authority rather than keeping quiet and pretending you’re okay with it.

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7. LACK OF PREPARATION.

They say proper preparation prevents poor performance, and this has been one of the major reasons why students carry over a course. There are some students who only open their book a few days before the examination, and I can only imagine how difficult it is for such a student to perform excellently in his or her exams. Whenever you discover that you no longer study your books the way you used to, wake up; otherwise, you start counting your carryover even before the examination starts.

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8. PROBLEM WITH THE LECTURER.

Having a problem with your lecturer is not advisable because they may decide to punish you with carryover. Some lecturers are strict, and this is why you should follow their rules and instructions and get to their class before they arrive. Education is a combination of both learning and moral character; therefore, you should be well behaved.

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9. FORMING I TOO KNOW (ITK)

Some students failed as a result of ignorance and religious belief. Some of these students take the risk of failing to ensure that they do not compromise their religious beliefs. Nevertheless, no knowledge is lost. If there are some things that are unclear to you and you are sure that your friends can provide answers for you, why not ask? Instead of forming “I Too Know,” I remember a fellowship friend telling me that “assisting a friend in the exam hall is a sin.” While this may be true or not, I think students shouldn’t take the risk of failing due to religious beliefs or overconfidence.

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10. MISSING EXAMINATION.

Although this is rare, it does happen every semester. Some students had carryovers as a result of missing examinations. This may be as a result of late registration, sickness, or other unforeseen circumstances that could make the student miss his or her exams. Any missing examination in higher institutions is automatically carried over. To avoid this, make sure you complete all registration formalities and pay all necessary school fees that may cause you to miss your exams.

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Why You Must Avoid Carryover At All Costs.

Carryover is meant for students, but you must avoid it because it brings you down academically. In fact, scoring D (40) is far better than carryover, which means F9 (failure). Other reasons why you must avoid carryover at all costs are:

1. POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE.

According to school authorities, “carryover” is a result of poor performance, and this will reflect on your results. Having more than one carryover can lower your CGPA and lead to probation. Some schools may ask you to withdraw.

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2. MENTAL HEALTH.

Having carryover may affect your mental health and result in low self-esteem. You won’t feel yourself among your course mates anymore; you feel devastated and sad. I have seen situations whereby students attempted suicide because they carried a course over.

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3. AN EXTRA YEAR.

Another reason why you must avoid carryover is the “extra year.” It’s sad to hear that you will no longer graduate with your set anymore; that is, after your graduation, you will come back to retake your failed courses. Carryovers lead to an extra year, which may prevent you from participating in NYSC on time because you have no result to show.

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4. CARRYOVER EATS MONEY.

Some schools may ask you to pay a certain amount of money to rewrite the failed courses, and this has been one of the reasons students never graduate because they can’t afford the amount to clear their result.

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5. EMBARRASSMENT.

Carryover comes with embarrassment, especially if your school releases results on a noticeboard where everyone can see your academic performance, so if eventually you fail, your friends may mock you with this. Imagine the embarrassment of writing a carryover exam with your juniors.

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What Should I Do If I Carry a Course Over?

If you carry over a course, what you need to do is think about what could cause you to fail and fix it. Are you sure you performed well in the exam? Did you attend class and pass your C/A? The reason for your C/O may be connected to any of the aforementioned reasons. Figure that out to prevent future recurrences. Then prepare well ahead of the next examinations.

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