Parakou: why seven students fainted during class at FASEG

An unusual scene occurred last Saturday at the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management at the University of Parakou. During class, several first-year students successively lost consciousness, causing concern within the auditorium.

According to David Djigbé, the president of the National Union of Students of the University of Parakou interviewed by Daabaaru, the alert was raised around 8:50 AM, after the fainting of the first student. In response to the situation, university authorities swiftly made arrangements for her evacuation to the departmental hospital center for care and to better understand the causes of her distress.

But while the first student was being evacuated, two other cases were reported. Other fainting spells were subsequently noted, bringing the total number of affected students to seven, all enrolled in the first year.

Causes Still Not Established

Currently, no official cause has been communicated. David Djigbé, however, rules out at this stage the hypothesis of a problem directly related to the heat or lack of space in the classroom. According to him, the faculty authorities had already made arrangements to split the group in two, unlike previous years when the numbers made teaching conditions more difficult.

He also emphasizes that the weather conditions on that day did not, in his opinion, point to heat-induced distress. The situation thus remains difficult to explain, especially since the affected students have been attending classes for several months.

The president of the UNEUP nonetheless mentions a particularly challenging academic environment. First-year students are reported to have started classes on October 27, and at this time of year, they should normally be on vacation or awaiting their results. However, they were still in the middle of their classes.

Lack of Classrooms Highlighted

David Djigbé also points to the backlog in the execution of timetables. According to him, classes have been accelerated, sometimes from 7 AM to 7 PM, in order to make up for lost time and complete the curriculum before examinations.

This situation is partly related to a lack of classrooms. Some scheduled classes have been postponed due to the unavailability of space to accommodate students, which contributes to prolonging the academic calendar.

Following the fainting spells, authorities reportedly called for an immediate halt to classes to allow students to rest before upcoming assessments. David Djigbé urges the relevant authorities to expedite the construction of auditoriums at the University of Parakou. He also encourages students to maintain better nutrition and observe sufficient rest periods, especially during times of high academic pressure.