Covid-19 and the altered reality of college
Lately, the country’s attention has been drawn to university students who have been suffering in silence and going hungry, with some even fainting in class due to hunger. Is life in campus not as rosy as it has for long been portrayed to be? This week, we spoke to students in four public institution of higher learning in a bid to understand campus life in the age of a pandemic, and whether their expectations are being met.
Wendy Pamella, JKUAT
I never realised how high my expectations of campus were until I reported for my first year. I was so disappointed. The freedom I had envisaged was there all right, but nothing else seemed as interesting and adventurous as my high school teachers had made me believe.
I thought life in campus would be fun filled, with a lot less academic work compared to high school. I imagined campus was supposed to mould one into a professional, but I had never expected to learn the tough financial management lessons I ended up learning. I never expected to solve such a huge number of mathematics problems!
Money has been my greatest challenge and that’s tough in an environment where some students drive themselves to school, live in fully furnished apartments and have extra cash to spend on booze and other leisure activities. But I was not so badly off. I have also encountered poor students who support their parents and siblings using student loans and struggle financially in campus. However, one thing that I found to be true is that most students are broke, and this is particularly challenging for those who fully depend on their parents because many parents underestimate the living conditions at school.
The struggles in university are not just limited to money. Some students are mentally unstable, others are in toxic relationships, others are under so much pressure from home while others feel overwhelmed by the intensity of their studies. Sadly, it is nearly impossible to tell if a friend is enduring any of these struggles.
Although I am taking an engineering course, which is perceived as prestigious, I am not sure that my degree will lead to a better future. Opportunities are quite limited and even highly qualified graduates are struggling to find jobs. Now, I think success can only come by taking a path less trodden, so I am planning to acquire extra skills, take up volunteer work and think outside the box. I even started writing blogs in my second year and have been a very active member of the Society of Engineering Students.
I feel like I am in a race against time to achieve my goals, and I am consequently very frightened about the future. Will things turn out the way I envision them?
I have learnt that campus life is different for everyone, depending on which course you are taking, your financial status and your character. Over time, campus life has proven fun, because I decided to make it fun. Having awesome friends helped a lot with that. One thing that helped me adjust was my decision to always keep pushing and to never give up.
Easter Fanning Obong’o, University of Nairobi
If I was to change one thing in public institutions of higher learning, I would promptly eliminate the needless bureaucracy and make the decision makers easily accessible to students. This will encourage students to voice their concerns and propose solutions to their problems.
Additionally, I’d ensure that all university employees do their work efficiently. Why should one wait a whole week to get a letter that can be printed in less than 10 minutes?
What most people don’t know is that the present day campus life has really changed. All our parents and grandparents needed to do was get to study and get good grades. Upon graduation, they were sure to get a job. Today, the HELB loan is hardly enough to take care of a student’s needs, considering the fact that the amount has remained largely constant over a very long period of time.
I have deep fears about my future. I am no longer sure how important my university education is to achieving my dreams, or whether it is a waste of my time. This is because of the vast difference between what is taught in class and the realities in the job market. Will I still be relevant in my industry by the time I graduate? Not that I don’t believe in the power of education. A solid education can open many doors, but I have realised that employers are more interested in unique skills than in academic certificates.
Personal finance is a subject I am very passionate about. I have noticed that many students live beyond their means, trying to afford expensive clothes or going for vacations, yet most of them survive on Helb loans. Oh, and there is a good number of students who receive the student loans when they don’t need it at all. They end up using the money for leisure.
Digital lending apps are also another cancer in campus. Most of my classmates have mobile app loans which they borrow without a plan. Fortunately, I was taught how to manage my finances from a very young age and I took a personal financial management course with Centonomy in first year. This has made me highly responsible. I can account for every penny that gets into my account because as soon as I get money, I make a budget.
I have also became more knowledgeable about the investment opportunities available to me as a young person with little and inconsistent income, as well as the nitty gritty of the money market funds, equities, corporate and government bonds and a lot more. I have found budgeting to be a very effective tool for managing my finances. I would highly encourage other students to give it a try.
Kerry Iranzi, Kenyatta University
I have several quirks – I can remove my socks using my mouth, I can make my tongue touch my chin, I can juggle four tomatoes using one hand and I am very flexible. However, I live in constant fear of failure. Luckily, I have made the necessary preparations and I feel ready to handle any challenges. I believe that what’s meant to be will be, so I focus only on the present, which is essentially a building block for the future.
Campus truly is fun. You get to meet people from diverse cultures and economic backgrounds, and due to this, one may easily be tempted to feel unworthy or to get depressed. Additionally, brokeness is a very serious problem among students.
For me, the greatest challenge has been balancing between school and leisure. Entertainment is appealing and addictive and can obscure the main goal, which is to excel in my studies, so I try as much as possible to strike a good balance.
I thought I’d have so much money in campus, but I was in for a rude shock. I also thought university students had no time for anything except books, but I have realised that this is where all the fun is. My future doesn’t seem as secure as I thought it would be when I registered for my course because I have seen so many graduates struggle to find employment. But I am having a really good time. I try not to compare myself with others, or to be influenced by them, and I make a point of adapting very fast to changes. However, I still feel like I’m in a mad rush against time.
Fredrick Kioko, Moi University
I don’t come from a wealthy family, so my life in campus is always a struggle. Recently, I found myself in a situation where I could not even afford to buy bread worth Sh50. I reached out to my relatives and after two days, my uncle sent me some money which I used to buy my first meal in two days.
In my first year, I worked as a shop attendant earning Sh250 every day. In my second year, I used my Helb money to buy a potato fryer which I used to cook and sell chips to other students. That worked well for me as I was making a profit of about Sh800 every day, which allowed me to pay my rent and buy food. These side jobs did not affect my studies in any way because I used to read at night or at the shop when there were no customers.
For needy students like me, Helb is really useful. If you plan and budget well, the Helb money can last up to three months, but if you don’t, it can be over in a week.
Personally, I take only one meal a day to reduce my bills. Breakfast is not a must for me and my body has gotten used to this. Sometimes my friends and I remain in lecture halls during lunch hours to avoid the sweet aroma of food coming from the eateries and when we don’t have morning classes, we oversleep with the aim of skipping breakfast.
I hope to graduate and promptly get a job in Nairobi so that I can help my parents. I really pray that I don’t add to the statics on unemployed graduates. I hope that my struggles to attend engineering classes on an empty stomach will someday bear fruit. I am eternally grateful to my uncles Benson Kimeu Makau and Carlos Makau who help me whenever they can. BY DAILY NATION
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