- Parents have been urged to maintain continuous follow-up on their children’s lives once they join university.
- Stakeholders have warned that many students fall into bad company, substance abuse and early marriage due to newfound campus freedom.
- Students have been urged to set academic goals, budget HELB loans wisely and seek mentorship from campus leaders to avoid dropping out.
As most first-year university students begin their higher education journey, residents of West Mugirango Constituency have called on parents to maintain continuous follow-up on their children’s lives on campus.
Speaking during the crowning of their SDA Camp meeting at Nyamakororo, Josephine Kerubo and Esther Mokeira said most students join bad company after joining university and indulge in undesirable activities such as drug and substance abuse and early marriage, ultimately dropping out of their courses and regretting it later. Kerubo said when young people enter university, where there is more freedom than in secondary school, they get astray, mistaking their newfound independence for full maturity.
The residents urged students to remember their financially weak home backgrounds, empathise with their parents’ sacrifices and embrace their studies with diligence to secure quality education for a sustainable life. They also encouraged the young people to embrace religion, saying it offers a foundation for a happy and grounded life. Kerubo said religion keeps a person anchored in morals, discipline and fear of God, helping them avoid the traps of campus life such as sexual immorality, crime and drug abuse.
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Education stakeholders at the meeting advised students to guard against laziness by drawing up a personal timetable and sticking to it, since university has no bell to regulate their day. They were urged to set clear academic goals, including a target GPA for each semester, and to break down coursework into weekly targets instead of waiting until examinations approach.
Students were also advised to choose friends wisely, since peer pressure remains the biggest cause of failure on campus, and to join academic groups and Christian unions rather than groups focused only on parties and betting. They were warned against drug and substance abuse, which drains energy and kills concentration, and encouraged to participate in sports activities to build networking, resilience and teamwork while keeping the body healthy and the mind active.
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On managing freedom and money, students were urged to budget their HELB loans and parental upkeep for food, books and research rather than fashion and gambling, and to use their phones for learning rather than social media during lecture time. They were encouraged to seek mentorship from the Dean of Students, chaplains, lecturers and senior students, and to remember home, where most parents in West Mugirango sell tea and bananas to raise school fees.
The residents also appealed to the church and local administration to organise a send-off prayer and mentorship day for all students joining university this month before they report to their respective institutions.
By Enock Okong’o
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