adminCharles Dube
Students need resources to follow their dreams and be responsible individuals. Given resources and proper infrastructure children can shrug off the “nuisance tag” they are associated with.
Last week we discussed the role parents can play on career guidance for their children. For one to have the best career she or he should study hard. This is the general advice given to children and pertinent too. But, surely, students cannot be studying all the time and to expect such is quite impractical. Nowadays when school holidays come, both parents and students are preoccupied by the need for extra lessons. There is always a feeling that students need to catch up on weak subjects.
Gone are the days whereby it was a must that when schools closed children were sent to the rural areas to assist their grandparents with household chores. There was always a lot of work to do at home before the country was affected by the El Nino-induced droughts. The extended family concept was still intact. Children could visit and stay with relatives for the entire holidays. However, as indicated earlier holiday lessons are the in thing. “Study and pass examinations for better opportunities,” that is what they say.
While the benefits of holiday lessons are clear to everybody, it should not be forgotten that at times they are abused. Cunning students use them to escape from doing household chores. They leave early in the morning and when do they return? Parents are you aware of your children’s holiday’s programmes or study timetables? Are you sure that the time designated is spent wisely? In modern times you discuss these issues with your children. I am not advocating for the imposition of draconian laws on children which will produce negative results later on.
Positive entertainment is limited these days. There are computers and television which offer various forms of entertainment.
When used properly and wisely these gadgets occupy students and keep them out of trouble. Most students use computers to study and research but do not rule out an element of obsession as some seem to believe that they cannot do anything without computers. Where computers are available students should fully utilise them.
There is no point in having computers and thereafter lock them away from students. At times students call it upon themselves to have restricted use of computers. Instead of studying they use them for other nefarious activities. They spend most of the time chatting on Facebook and other sites at the expense of academic work. Computers are not the end of everything as seen in the developed world where children have gone tired of them and are resorting to other forms of entertainment.
The children or students are moving on a tight rope. In as much as they try to live by the book and follow everything that society expects of them the space is limited compared to the past. Some resort to beer drinking at a tender age, taking drugs and smoking cigarettes as a pastime. Talk of going to “vuzu” parties — whatever happens there, my foot. This normally starts as child play or pranks and later they become addicted. This is followed by dropping out of school and thereafter roaming the streets.
Lack of resources and finance has led to the demise of community clubs. The infrastructure which used to house these clubs where students and other members of the community used to gather during the holidays to play games and engage in other social activities which kept them from the negative vices have run down. Children have nowhere to go and exercise their faculties except to engage in bad behaviour. Today’s children are hyperactive and are fond of trying new things and to expect them to be docile like those of long ago is not feasible.
Community libraries could be having books to read but today’s student is into computers which are not yet abundant due to financial constraints. However, rather than resorting to illicit behaviour students could positively use their hyperactivity to help the community. They could help the needy in their communities. It could be orphans or the elderly. For example, some students are engaged in social clubs in schools which help communities around them, why not take those concepts home and join forces with friends and partake in helpful activities?
People should be aware that there is more to life than extreme entertainment which is dangerous to one’s life. There is nothing old fashioned as long as it shapes one to be a responsible citizen. In this light I am cognisant of the fact that nowadays for any programme to succeed there should be financial backup. There are many such groups which are engaged in developmental issues with young people. They are doing their best despite the challenges the face.
My only concern is that most of them have to do with the girl child, leaving out the boy child. I am not stoking fires for debate but only suggesting that such groups should empower all people who can develop the country. All children need to be helped to get out of challenging situations.
Mentors of school clubs discussed above should not forget to teach their groups to look for beneficiaries from even among themselves including far and wide. At times there are ironies where a group travels to assist a needy individual who could be better off than someone around them.
There are more suggestions we will proffer to help students fight the challenging situations facing them.
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