What has become of universities?

Societies go through changes over the years. This reality includes institutions of higher learning.

No doubt then that the university of today cannot be the same as the one of yesterday. Ideally, one should suppose that as society develops, things improve for the better in universities. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case here.

Starting with the academics and general conduct of students, a lot of things have drastically deteriorated, if the observations of those who studied in these very institutions years back are facts to go by.

Not very long ago, the conduct of students on strike was generally different from the ilk of today. Unlike in the past when riots were triggered by valid reasons and conducted without direct attack on the public, some of today’s university students take to the street as soon as there is a power outage or when they feel that they not ready to sit for exams.

RIOTS

And it hardly ends well. Police are engaged in senseless running battles. Motorists are wantonly beaten up and robbed. Street lights are pulled down and, worst of all, a comrade dies in the melee. Why all this drama over petty issues?

Today’s students seem to have no place or time for dialogue, which is ironical because unlike in the past, the present university student has a lot of free time. We no longer spend hours in libraries looking for research materials and reference books. If anything, Google is in our palms.

Additionally, some of today’s university students have figured out that they do not have to attend class or sit for exams. With a little money, they can get all these taken care of on their behalf.

Let us go the hostels. There is a big problem there too. Many of them have been pushed to accommodate the increasing number of students, so do not be surprised to find a room shared by a surprising number of students — beds squeezed in to fit 12 students in a space meant for four.

This high population has also come with all sorts of bad things. High crime rates in campuses has become ordinary. Comrades are stealing from one another.

And ladies, they say that if you have it, flaunt it. Visit any university and you will see flaunting in action. Some university girls will not hesitate to give a hint about what they have under their clothes. With their busts threatening to pop out and wearing micro skirts and dresses, they confidently walk as if they have made a discovery.

UNPROTECTED SEX

The height of all this is that every other week, dumped foetuses are collected by hostel cleaners. That suggests a lot of unprotected sex.

As for the male students, there are those who have mistaken their thighs for their waists. They leave onlookers worried and afraid that their trousers might drop at any moment. It is called sagging.

Then there is all the piercing and weird tattoos. Morals seem to have gone to the dogs. Well, what can one expect from all the misinterpreted Western influence, a lot of time, a little money, and lots of energy?

Drug and alcohol abuse among comrades is also quite visible. It is not surprising to a see a tipsy comrade staggering into a lecture hall. Who is to blame when alcohol joints are in every corner of the university?

One wonders how the situation in public universities will be like in say, another 10 years, if nothing is done about this mess.