First-year students of the Logistics & Transport Management department at HIBMAT University Institute of Buea (HUIB), on Saturday 26, February 2022, gained their first out-of-class experience at the Kribi Deep Sea Port.
Their first academic visit, which took them to Central Africa’s largest seaport, gave these young professionals a clear perspective of the autonomous port.
“It was an opportunity for these students to acquaint themselves with the multipurpose cranes, containers, and other port equipment, giving them the opportunity of blending practice with theory,” said Mr. Ataah Fondeh, lecturer of Logistics & Transport Management (LTM) at HUIB
While they can be stressful, field trips like this link the classroom experience with the outside world. In doing so, they not only improve learning but also give students valued practical experience.
Underscoring the importance of blending theory with practicals, Madam Nformi Nadesh, Head of Department for Logistics & Transport Management said an exercise like this was necessary for the students to have a first-hand experience of what obtains at the port.
“We have been talking about logistics activities, they’ve heard about the port, about port facilities, and port equipment, so we had to go an extra mile to ensure that they have a physical view of what obtains at the port area in general.
“The training we give our students at HUIB is not just about preparing them for exams. It is about building excellence in every learner.”
This particular trip visioned at improving students’ knowledge base, was a physical representation of their classroom learning experience.
“I usually teach my students on handling equipment at the port, for example, how to use the multipurpose crane for both offloading and loading of dry or wet equipment, scanning a container and identifying its contents. They had the opportunity to see all these in action.” Mr Ngenjang Collins, a lecturer at HIBMAT Douala, said.
The field trip owed its success to lecturers and a tour guide at the port who engaged the students in the history of the port, the different equipment at the port, the underlying difference between the Kribi and Douala ports, and a host of other lectures.
The academic visit to the Kribi Deep Sea Port is only the beginning for the first-year students of the Logistics & Transport department of HUIB, according to Mr. Ataah.
“We usually take our year-one students to the Port of Kribi and when they progress to year two, we will take them to the Port of Douala and we’ll also visit logistics firms to acquaint themselves with logistics practices of companies within Kribi and the Port of Douala.”
The importance of undertaking field trips for students cannot be overemphasized as such excursions help students learn better, strengthen their observation skills, and increase their overall knowledge.
For Phanuel Ndifon, a first-year student of the Logistics & Transport Management department at HIBMAT Douala, the academic trip serves as a booster to help him study better in class.
“Most of the things that are being taught in school, we’re able to see them here and this field trip has helped me to understand the difference between the Kribi Deep Sea Port and the Douala Sea Port. I am also happy that HUIB is keeping to its promise of a good education for us.”
The Kribi Deep Sea Port, once completed, will be the largest deepwater port in Central Africa. Cameroon’s government is hopeful the new port will stimulate its economy and provide relief for the harbor at Douala, the country’s most populous city, while also providing dock space for larger ships.