Online Reporter
Rodgers Irimayi
Cultural Perspectives
THERE are serious behavioural concerns being raised by parents and guardians of children in universities and colleges within and outside Zimbabwean borders.
Listening to one of DJ Sparks’ uncensored YouTube podcast on this hot topic, challenged me to table a conversation on the life being experienced by students in university and colleges, and the impact of such experiences on cultural values.
It is my belief that this conversation will be able to provide insights to many who intent to enroll at universities or colleges.
There is need to prepare adequately to face the challenges that come with life at tertiary institutions.
To some, it is a life changing experience which transforms tertiary students as they have a test for freedom for their first time away from home.
A student’s Christian values are challenged or converted during university, and it is against this background that guardians should carefully consider how their child’s behaviour will be affected.
The God given right of parenthood is not easily withdrawn no matter how powerful we advocate for children’s rights.
Despite the chronological age that defines adulthood, children remain children until such a time when they are able to sustain themselves and reason independently.
Some people now view universities and colleges as traps or snares where morals and cultural values are destroyed.
Students at this stage in life interact with others from diverse cultural, religious, socioeconomic, and ideological backgrounds.
Many leave the country in search for entrance opportunities as well as cheaper universities.
The bottleneck for enrolling for some courses in Zimbabwe is tight.
Enrolling for prestigious courses such as nursing, medicine, dentistry, law and many others is easy across borders in countries such as Zambia.
University life often emphasises individual achievement and competition, which can conflict with collectivist cultural values.
I witnessed it when I visited Zambia last year for a boxing tournament. Zimbabwean female students who were scantily dressed were milling around a shopping mall around midnight.
They were being picked and dropped by posh cars, and obviously practicing sex work.
Speaking Shona and Ndebele, it was easy for me to identify their nationality.
There are cries that some Zimbabwean students in Zambia, Cyprus, Poland and even from local institutions are now rogue as they pair up males with females, and stay together in temporal marital relationships.
Some of these students even change couples every semester as they search for suitable partners who suit their likes. Some experiment venturing into territories of alcoholism, drug addiction and sex work as unwanted pregnancies are aborted illegally.
Instead of concentrating on studies, some students take university and college life as an opportunity to attend parties, dress inappropriately and engage in wayward behaviour because of peer pressure.
Exposure to different worldviews and lifestyles lead some students to question or re-evaluate their own cultural values and assumptions.
Many students with Christian backgrounds are transformed into wild and uncontrollable behaviours behind their parent’s knowledge.
Some senior students position themselves in identifying, selecting and matching new female students with ‘blessers’ who are senior male students or older men believed to be financially capable to care for them within and outside campus.
These seniors are paid by these male predators for identifying fresh students for them.
It should be noted that the relationship between university life and cultural values is really complex, and there are possibilities for university life to impact either negatively or positively on cultural values and family expectations.
It came out from DJ Sparks’ discussion that when university students are away from their parents, they get influenced through peer pressure and baptised into some activities sometimes not expected of them.
Such a life provides students with greater independence and physical distance from their family which then weakens the direct reinforcement of cultural values that they may have experienced at home.
The female student is exposed to various demands even from lecturers for favourable assignment or coursework marks, and with the pressure to complete the course, she is left with no choice as she gets trapped to admit and engage in sexual activities.
The need to have finances to have their hair done, nice food and getting other basic necessities pushes the females into a corner which if not financially satisfied by the family, is alternatively fulfilled by a boyfriend or any other male offering ‘free’ services in exchange for sex.
Peers play a significant role in influencing the behaviour of a colleague and the gradual transformation is noticeable after periods of continuous interaction with bad company.
Male students have their own share of disdain as they adjust to fit into the campus culture and social dynamics at universities.
To some, the situation pressures them to conform to certain behaviours, attitudes, and value orientations that differ from their home culture.
Some students feel the need to embrace new ideas and experiences encountered at university although it might be clashing with cultural values acquired at home.
Many start taking alcohol and smoking as an adaption to a new life.
Others even go further and start taking drugs or enter into drug peddling as a means for survival.
Not all students change their behaviours, there are some students who maintain their dignity and continue to preserve their morality even among the temptations that attempt to sway them.
Some continue to congregate and worship in small groups or outside campus where they join their mother churches.
Universities are adult institutions where students are expected to behave as such.
It is the reason why there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to public tertiary institutions unlike denominational or church institutions.
There are perceived potential positive impacts that universities also proffer, and these include the opportunity for cultural exchange.
At university or college, students engage with diverse cultures, fostering greater understanding and appreciation of the way and lifestyles of fellow students.
Another positive dimension brought about by university education it that it encourages critical thinking and analysis, which can help students evaluate and refine their cultural values.
These institutions can also play a role in preserving and promoting cultural heritage through research, education, and community engagement.
The dominance of Western education systems and cultural norms can influence students’ values and worldviews, therefore universities can support student clubs and organisations that promote cultural heritage.
The extent to which students’ cultural values are challenged or transformed during university varies widely, so there is need for individual students to be careful in selecting peers to interact with.
While many students are also able to maintain and even strengthen their cultural values, others get theirs destroyed as they mix and mingle with bad company.
Rodgers Irimayi is the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Masvingo Provincial Information Officer. He writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted on +263778246098 or [email protected].
