UNILORIN to deploy drones for exams monitoring

It is highly probable that the University of Ilorin, Nigeria will, in future, monitor examinations conducted within the campus with drones if the authorities of the university accede to suggestions by members of the institution's Drone Team.

The drones, developed by a team coordinated by Prof. Sulyman AbdulKareem of the Department of Chemical Engineering, added colours to the just concluded 40th anniversary/31st convocation ceremonies of the University.

In separate interviews with Unilorin Bulletin, the Co-ordinator of the team, Prof. AbdulKareem, and another key member of the team, Dr. Yakubu, said that drones can be used to monitor the conduct of examinations in future as well as general campus surveillance in conjunction with the security personnel”.

According to Prof. AbdulKareem, “the use of drones has come to stay because where you don't want to endanger human life, a machine, which a drone is, can go there and still get the information you need”. He pointed out that “drones, rather than infringing on human rights, actually protect human rights because the man who wants to do evil and knows that a machine can remotely capture his act, will not likely do it”.

The Unilorin Drone Team Coordinator, who is the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, disclosed that some academic departments in the University have started showing interest in the use of the drone. He said, “I believe that apart from giving practical knowledge to those in Geography, Electrical Engineering and Physics, virtually any Department that may have a reason to capture events beyond what is in front of the camera, which has to be aerially covered, can use the drone.”