The agony of being a student in a public university

It is almost unimaginable that university students at one point in our history were charmed with stipends and luxuries like free meals for them to enroll for tertiary education. Ironically, as the thirst for education grew, the quality of public institutions dwindled leading to loss of tag-the premier education system in East Africa.

Administration of various universities are burning the mid-night oil to ensure they equip themselves to the accorded standards expected from the Ministry of Education. However, difficulties continue to plague public universities compared to their counterparts in private universities. This is manifested mostly in cases where institutions solely rely on government funds compared to private universities that get funds directly from its sources. Access to basic University resources is limited by its ever burgeoning student population. Presently, walking into the university does not automatically earn one a silver bullet to employment. Hashtag writers picked out a few challenges that a student in public universities has to contend with.

University top management is mandated to control student politics. However, this takes a familiarly predictable pattern influencing the election of students from specific blocks to the student leadership. Some public universities have openly tried to influence election of student leaders from specific ethnic communities depriving students a chance to choose their preferred leaders. This they achieve through conniving means such as imposing having cut-off grades for any student who wishes to vie for specific positions.

Heightened politics of money finally emerges where students have to conduct campaigns within timelines. Some are forced to collude with national politicians for funding, conduct fundraising and borrow loans from banks, relatives and friends.

Unfortunately, most of the campaign money raised is used in buying of goons to attack political opponents, purchase of alcohol and bribing student voters-a culture that matures into national politics.

“However much students exercise and groom their political right, it’s an expensive and sometimes unhealthy exercise,” says Davis Situma, a graduate of Maseno University.

Some of these elections have witnessed student’s deaths and strikes causing alteration of academic calendars. Meru University of Science and Technology and Maseno University, for instance, were forced to close indefinitely last year following protests that were related to student elections.

Resits presents a major concern for many institutions of higher learning as it either causes delays in degree completion or dropping out from degree programs.

This examination repeats/retakes results to deferment of semesters and dropping out of University altogether translating into possible psychological anguish for students, loss of revenue for the institution concerned, and shattered dreams for families.

While being admitted into a university is a remarkable accomplishment for some students, acquiring a degree is what really matters in higher education. However frustrated academic goals result in unmet career aspirations such as poorly paid jobs, diminished prestige, lack of career security, and sometimes fewer work opportunities.

Some of these resist might be due to students’ personal reasons, students’ lack of ability, skills or motivation to see out a graduate program, students’ lack of financial support, poor supervision and an inflexible policy of most universities.

“Public universities amenities such as lecture halls, libraries, hostels and dining points should be prioritized. Additionally, mechanisms for early detection of risks should be supported by technology to ensure students pursue their studies to completion,’’ says Allan Bunguswa, a third UoN student.

“Such structures should include counseling, mentorship, personality enhancement programmes, spiritual support and where possible financial support,” adds Bunguswa.

Finding a decent room on campus is a grueling task. In most cases, you have to be acquainted with a student leader, the house keeper, or someone in the administration for you to get a room.

James, a student at Moi University has this to say, ’’Even after you get room, you are likely to deal with the persistent problem of bedbugs, jokingly referred to as micro-comrades.’’

When it comes to other options of accommodation, ridiculously high rent presents another problem. Mueni, a student at the University of Eldoret pays an average of Sh30, 000 per semester for a single-room off-campus. She then has to commute daily since the distance from the school to her residence is quite a stretch.

Insecurity has for long been an enduring problem in public universities. The congestion does not aid the situation. If you look closely at the trend in campus strikes, you will notice that one out if three is instigated by a murder or death of a student.

This insecurity also crosses over to matters health. If you walk to most health facilities in public universities, you are likely to leave with more complications than you came in with. One major public university, for instance, has to make due with one ambulance whose operation is limited to business hours. Its dispensary is in the worst condition with every patient, regardless of what they are suffering from, being prescribed Panadol, the only medicine in stock.

Last week, a Maseno University fourth year education student was attacked at around 10 pm at night along Shaba lodge and sustained injuries. His belongings were stolen as he was rushed to the varsity hospital. All this incidents are a pale in the face of Garissa University College 2015 terrorist attack. All other factors considered, the security arrangements of the institution was simply not well-equipped to deal with a situation of that magnitude. The same security handicaps are replicated in most other public universities.

Students in public universities face stiff competition from their counterparts in private schools. Most times, employers are quick to pick the student from the latter over those who attended public universities and third floor colleges. This is because public universities stumble over their poorly drafted curriculums, which lay emphasis on theory as opposed to the practical aspect.

It is also not uncommon to find most of the scholarships being awarded to students in private universities. Take the case of the USIU, an American university is more likely to partner with the university which largely identifies with them as opposed to one that does not. Public universities thus receive crumbs and leftovers when it comes to job considerations and scholarships.

Some students will long for long holidays while others rightfully detest them for being a waste of time. It might take you a duration of two to three years, for instance, to the complete a degree program in a privately-run institution. This is a stark contrast to public universities where a degree program takes four years, including one year in vacation.

Students in private institutions are, therefore, handed an upper hand in the job market and advance their education fairly fast. The long holiday coupled by the election crisis has seen several public tertiary institutions paralyses education for more than six months. It seems that long holidays seem the only tenable solution to controlling the soaring student numbers brought on by double intakes and being less equipped.

Some universities are seen as better placed than others in terms of infrastructure, development and the general appearance. Thus, it is not uncommon for students called to universities portrayed as being “village” colleges to seek transfer other universities of preference.

It is also common for students to seek transfers after they discover that their preferred courses are not offered in the institutions that they have been placed. This process takes at least a period of three months and above where linkages have to be connected between the deans of students of various universities. Under such circumstances, a substantial chunk of the syllabus will have been covered and the student might be forced to defer in order to catch up with their university of choice.

This is probably one of the most common predicament in most public universities across the country. It is almost acceptable practice for a student complaining of missing marks to be denied the chance to graduate. The standard response to the crisis is a rift between the examination paper, lecturer and the concerned faculty. Closer inspection by Hashtag reveals that the missing marks crisis seems characteristic of specific course units in various universities sampled.

Students consider strikes as the most effective tool to have their grievances heard and addressed. Unfortunately, most seem oblivious of the repercussions that result from rioting, robbing and blocking roads and engaging police in running battles. Away for the physical risks involved, the strikes have a cost implication borne by the student and in most cases prolong school calendar programs. It is laughable that some of the grievances can be solved through dialogue.