WISHFUL THINKING? University student leaders want to be exempted from examinations

A proposal has been put forward by student leaders across universities in Kenya seeking to cushion them from sitting examinations.

The students are demanding to have their exams postponed for one year — until the end of their semester.

Their proposal is based on the fact that they spend a lot of time handling matters concerning students.

Students’ Organisation of University of Nairobi (Sonu) president Felix Opiyo, decried the high number of workshops and meetings he attends in the interest of students.

“I have at least four meetings to attend in a day, and this reduces my study time. I end up missing lectures, not to mention the fact that my course is demanding, and thus risk performing poorly in the end. I propose that the exams be kept for us until we are out of office,” Opiyo a third-year biochemistry student told Campus Vibe. He also complained that some lecturers who do not support student leaders in their efforts to seek a better campus life for students in the university.

“Some lecturers often demean us, looking down on us like some inferior and unfocused dimwits just because we engage in student politics. Many of them often prophesy our doom come exam time,” he added.

Opiyo’s views are supported by the Maasai Mara University’s Student Security and Accommodation secretary Wycliffe Opiyo.

“I attend to cases involving students virtually the whole day. I ensure that I finish the cases with best available means. Most of these are indiscipline cases,” he said, adding that, “I spend longs hours in workshops and campus leadership meetings — that are meant to ensure the student body runs without any hitches. This means most of the time meant for my studies is lost.”

Their views are however not supported by the likes of Masinde Muliro University student president, Brian Okeja.

He told Campus Vibe that, “We are elected as leaders because of our unique abilities and competence. In fact, if we can sit for our exams and still carry out our duties as elected student leaders, then we get to show that we have acquired the necessary skills, and can thus multi-task. These will be useful even when we attain national leadership positions. We are in a competitive world, one that needs us to handle many issues at a go,” Okeja, a fourth-year Business Commerce student said.