Top Seven Reasons Why University Students Are Frustrated

Every young Kenyan student dreams of joining the university after finishing the form four level. Apart from all the professional advantages of joining universities, most of these students admire the fun and free lifestyle from stories they have heard or observed from university students. Until the 90S, joining the university was such a great privilege. Today, university life is burdensome. Many university students suffer in these institutions and can only dream of graduating to get out of the misery. Recently, there has been a rise in suicide cases among university students. Mental health is a big problem among university students. These are some reasons why university students are frustrated:

Financial issues

Most university students are from a very humble backgrounds. Apart from the HELB money, these students have no other means of survival because they rely on this little money for school fees and upkeep. To survive, they go by the same simple meal a day. In worst cases, they sleep hungry. Sometimes, university students must print out study notes and assignments and even access internet services. It becomes difficult without money, and their learning process is greatly affected as a result.

Accommodation issues

The number of students joining universities has increased over the years. The few public universities now admit more students than they can accommodate. Securing hostel accommodation is almost impossible for most students, who then seek outside accommodation. As you all know, accommodation options outside universities are expensive due to demand. The cheaper ones are miles away from the university, and so transport becomes another burden. They are also unsafe. Most students cannot afford them. Some students “pirate,” which is also risky when caught by hostel keepers. Others result to share a single room with even ten others, which is not very comfortable. Even shocking that some students spend their nights in the libraries and lecture halls. 

Missing marks

Among all the issues affecting university students, missing marks is the biggest giant. Missing marks is still a significant problem in most universities that haven’t upgraded their computer systems to support efficient test scores. Some errors also occur when lectures are entering marks into the plan. Others might lose student exam papers along the way, while others intentionally frustrate students for some reason. It is not surprising that some students spend over ten years in the university, following up for their marks.

Congestion  

Most public universities are congested. You won’t be surprised to find even a thousand students in a single lecture class. Some students even stay outside lecture halls during lectures, making learning difficult. With such large numbers, the delivery of the course content in the right way becomes difficult. I remember a GIS class on campus, where the lecturer had to deliver everything in theory because the computer laboratory couldn’t accommodate the large number. Even field trips, which are essential for some courses, become difficult. Besides, the lecturers cannot establish connections with the students too to determine their potential and weaknesses.

Useless courses

Universities in Kenya have become commercialized. They are never learners centered as before. To increase the number of admissions, they have come up with irrelevant courses to increase the number of entries. The Kenya National Qualifications Authority has not accredited some of these courses too. Other study programs are not relevant to the Kenyan market, making it difficult for graduates to secure jobs. 

Shallow course content

Though not the case for all university courses, most of the course content delivered by lecturers has not changed since the colonial errors. Students are fed with irrelevant knowledge to discover that they have no job skills once they graduate. Also, most libraries are full of western books, which are not relevant to studies in Africa. The world is changing so fast, yet university graduates lack the digital skills necessary for the current job market.

Unhealthy Relationships

Relationships are a big part of university life. Research also says that university friendships are likely to last a lifetime. While some of these friendships are meaningful, most of them are dangerous. Peer influence, in particular, has destroyed many innocent university students who have ended up in drug abuse and crime. Others engage in unhealthy romantic relationships where they suffer emotional and emotional abuse, making learning difficult.

With increased suicide and mental breakdown cases among university students, we cannot ignore that university students, especially those in public universities, are suffering silently. With the current economic rise, which is now evident in Nairobi’s move to double the tuition fee, we can only expect the worse if the government, parents, and university associations fail to address these issues.