The history of education relies heavily on the relationship. Before any hint of formal institutions, education; any form of training and exchange of knowledge from one person to another date to Man’s origin.

This started from the simple family arrangement; Father training his son to learn the ropes of farming, hunting and family affairs while mothers teaching their daughters to care, cook and preserve the home, later on, proceeded to the training of the elites for several purposes.

Education involves the impartation of knowledge, through which various learning techniques, skills, values, belief and habits of a standard model is transferred to younger or less informed individuals under the guidance of a matured or experienced person. In whatever form, it takes 2 parties for education to occur. The teacher and the student. Therefore, the relationship between the two stated is unavoidable and paramount.

In the Nigeria educational framework, teachers play a very important tool in the formation of a student’s maturity and learning process. As Henry B. Adams puts it ‘A teacher affect eternity; he/she can never tell where his influence stops’. Without a solid positive relationship, learning and ultimately education will be retarded.

In retrospect to my early years in school, I had serious issues with mathematics as a subject which later on translated to fears to even go to school, majorly because of the mathematics subject teacher. He was stern, unforgiving and harsh. The daily fears of being beaten and punished discouraged me and push me off the edge. It took the intervention of a warm home tutor to scale me through. Teachers serves as foster parents, from the moment the child leaves home as a prep pupil to undergraduate or post graduate education, the bulk of the child’s time will be in the hands of teachers. This means a lot.

For the tertiary education, this lecturer – student relationships become a bit more dynamic and complicated. The students is getting more matured, self-willed and informed, therefore teacher is obligated to use a less strict handling methods while the students is expected to rise to the occasion of becoming more independent.

Not many handles this well, few do. The resultant effect is a rebellious image and an uncaring attitude on both parties. In simpler words the student says ‘I own my life, I will do it- when am ready to’ on the other hand the teacher behaves ‘its your life, I don’t care whatever thing you do’. Some other relationships become exploitative. Students taking advantages of a welcoming lecturer while some lecturers making ill demands from less privilege students. On a long run, each party walk and talk with a keen eye to fight or flight to any risings events. The result is a wide deafening cold war.

It is my strong belief that all will benefit from a mutual great relationship; the students and lecturers. This requires a lot of work, possible and definitely productive.