The expectation of every parent is to see his or her child becoming a good ambassador of the family and society. This is why majority of parents go the extra mile to train their children to acquire basic knowledge that would make them functional members of the family and society.
Unfortunately, in Nigeria today, most parents have had their expectations dashed by their children. As a female undergraduate, I had set a dream to prove wrong those who have always held wrong perception about female students as being wayward. But what I started experiencing, especially in our hostels, was totally different from my perception.
Every evening, I see students who are supposed to be in the class reading and preparing themselves for tests and examinations discussing love with their boyfriends. The meeting point has been jokingly termed “emotional market” by students. This is peculiar to most universities in Nigeria. Many students don’t read until when examination timetables are out.
Universities must not be seen as a place to acquire degree certificates alone. There is every need to inculcate in the students the moral values that would make better citizens. It is clear that most graduates of Nigerian universities cannot defend their degrees because what they do is to memorize to pass examination.
The universities have become where most students live wayward lives. Role models are hard to come by. Even some of the lecturers don’t inspire their students to study hard. Imagine a teacher dating his female students. I am not against a lecturer marrying his student but using them as sex objects to give them cheap marks is wrong.
Some students are also drug addicts, threatening their fellow innocent students.
It is obvious that parents should be able to monitor their wards even outside their homes. They must not leave everything in the hands of university authority; hence, their expectation becomes a day dream.
Fatima Nda-Ali,
IBB University, Lapai, Niger State.