Dear Editor,

The lack of efficiency with administrative processes within our tertiary institutions is beyond unacceptable.

For this reason, many students are left to feel as though the system only cares about collecting their tuition and not about their well-being and academic advancement. This has caused many university students to become bitter and pledge that they will never recommend a prospective student to choose their alma mater or programmes of study.

Some, in anger, describe their institutions using a pun to play on their names or mottos; for example, “you tek” or “where learning never ends” because some students feel like their institution is all about taking their money and keeping them in university forever.

Prior to the novel coronavirus pandemic, students had to deal with a sluggish system and lackadaisical administrative staff. COVID-19 has exacerbated that, and the system has now become more lethargic. Phone calls go unanswered and e-mails go unread. A simple query that requires a student to progress to another semester or complete their degree ends up taking months to be rectified. How come? And when students request a follow-up, they are given the runaround. Nobody wants to take responsibility.

Another issue with which students have to contend is the lack of guidance from their academic advisors. Students are assigned an advisor, and this information is posted on notice boards; however, to what extent does communication take place between these parties? Academic bulletins are sometimes upgraded without proper communication to the students; consequently, students get confused concerning course selections. In more dire situations, some of them spend a year or more in university than expected, especially as they have to wait until certain courses are offered again.

Furthermore, with the rising cost of tuition, some institutional courses are facing great scrutiny from students. They do not understand how some courses correspond to any of their academic or professional objectives. What enrages students even more is the fact that some of these mandatory courses account for a significant number of credits, and they are as expensive as the courses specific to their areas of specialisation.

It is no secret that the majority of our students struggle to finance their tertiary education. They already have to deal with academic and mental stress, substandard teaching, in some cases, and condescending lecturers. Why do we put unnecessary pressure on them?

Too often our students feel as though the system is against them. Too often higher education institutions give the impression that students are not their number one priority. Remember, if there are no students, universities will become obsolete.

In a country where our young people find it difficult to have hope in our political and socio-economic systems, we must use our educational institutions to champion their empowerment, especially as many of them only see a better future through obtaining a university education.

As colleges and universities prepare for the next academic year, may they encourage their administrative and academic staff to act with more alacrity regarding students’ overall college experience.

Oneil Madden

maddenoneil@yahoo.com