THE problem with students going off the rails when they enter university life, begins with the parents, who believe simply being there when the child enrolls is enough.
Universities have to start involving parents by scheduling regular meetings which must take place at least every semester.
Students are by nature easily distracted and need to be reminded of the seriousness of their challenges and to act more responsibly.
As the people paying the varsity fees, parents have a vested interest in the well-being of their children and should take more of a direct interest by attending such meetings.
Bursars do not always check on the progress of the student, so when they get a negative report they tend to summarily terminate the bursary contract.
The reasons why students do not achieve may have many root causes.
At Unizulu, as with all campuses, there are many problems.
This includes the abuse of alcohol and campus pregnancies which lead to the high dropout rates, year-end failures and low percentage pass rates.
Alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse is rife on the Unizulu campus, which results in some students failing modules and even contemplate suicide when they see their dismal academic records.
Naive parents give their children extra money to purchase groceries only to find that less is being spent on necessities and more on alcohol.
Also, the close proximity of taverns near the university is a temptation many students can’t resist.
Pregnancy on campus obviously also has a huge effect on immediate academic and future work prospects.
Young female ‘freshers’ find life on campus exciting, and being away from their parents’ eyes give them the freedom of engaging in sexual activities, often without protection.
Ultimately, these students are forced to quit to take care of their newborn babies.
Many will never return.
It’s even worse when lecturers are alleged to have fathered the children of students, promising top grades if they submit to their advances.
But all is not lost on campus.
There are those, often with serious religious convictions, who work hard at their studies, striving to do wonders in their assignments, tests and exams.
Many of these well-performing students come from good backgrounds, where strong values are emphasised.
They clearly know what their priorities are and while they still enjoy varsity life, they do not allow themselves to be distracted by the lure of superficial and self-destructive activities.
