Why most of loan beneficiaries in campuses get bankrupt before the stipulated 60 days.

EDUCATION COLUMN

                                                       By Mesrine Mlela

                                                                                             Mwanza.

Most of the university students benefiting form the loans find themselves bankrupt before the stipulated 60 days in which a total of sh510, 000 disbursed by Higher Education Students Loans Board (HELSB) is expected to be spent.

This is according to a survey conducted specifically here at St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT)-Malimbe main campus in Mwanza. The surveyor used questionnaires and observation which led to the conclusion for the same.

• The survey shows that when students receive their meal and accommodation allowances calculated to be spent in the stated time above, where Tsh. 8,500 should be spent everyday, however most of them find having left with no coin due to money indiscipline.

“I have an ally whom as soon as he receives the money, he never attend lectures but instead he travel to town, take unnecessary rounds of here, just wasting time and at night he penetrates into famous big clubs in town, drink, dance, buy slatish, and at dawn goes back to his room and sleep almost half of the day,” a second year student Mwiga Ngoto, staking bachelor of law at SAUT- Mwanza revealed.

• Most of these loan beneficiaries see themselves rich after receiving the money into their accounts. They live luxury lives for a very short time without minding that the money is fading out abruptly.

• Believe me, some of the stubborn students  for stance Boniface Msomi taking Bachelor of arts in Mass communications, usually disturb their poor parents and  guardians back at home to send them what they term as something small claiming themselves broke despite the fact that they are loan beneficiaries. It is so embarrassing for the parents to realize the stipulated time for the funds. The parents fight day to day out to ensure securing at least a dollar per day for their survival yet their nasty children in the campus add them more burden and cause stress to them which lead to madness over the situations.

“My parents are not that much educated, so the stipulated 60 days are not in their awareness neither, so after almost two weeks after receiving my money I normally make them a call and inform them that I have allocated the money to different areas like tuition fee and accommodation so it’s over and they send me good money too,” a source told the surveyor.

Where are the shreds of tenderness? Don’t the students have mercy on them? Is it that they don’t care neither bother on the real situations of their parents back at homes? These are among the hardest unanswered questions. I pity you for these mistreatment's to your guardians for pride comes before fall.

• Surprisingly enough, some of the students from rich families never disclose to their parents that they are beneficiaries because they always have last for money so they shall be demanding more and more from their parents.

“When I reveal to my parents that I am among the beneficiaries, they won’t support me anymore when I become broke,” a student who did not want her name to be mentioned told the surveyor.

It was also established that not all students are of that caliber but there are the disciplined that make proper use of their money by spending to the only important stuffs of benefits to their stay in the campuses.

“ I am residing in the off campus hostels and hails from a very humble background where money is the most scares resource in the family, since my childhood up to date, and so I settle my debt with the administration immediately my account smiles to me. I hate qualms from the people around me after owing them and fail to settle the debts so the second decision is to ensure that there’s no any single  outstanding debt remaining before now allocating the fund into other domestic uses like meals, I cook my own food,” Genes Urassa smilingly expressed.

•  He also added that the money to him is a lot especially as he compares the current with the miserable life in his family.

The areas in which the funds are misused.

Frankly speaking per the survey conducted, the beneficiaries walk majestically from day one of receiving money. Some ride to the neighboring beaches, especially in ‘pairs' and the majority hires taxi cabs to the town, big restaurants and hotels.

• Female students go for the right decision at the wring time by making their hair in different styles, after a week they change the style and so forth. Night clubs is another quick option for these guys where they spend their nights, use drugs, alcohol, having other immoral action like sexual intercourse.

Being not enough, other students flock to the boutique points in the town and purchase a lot of different fashion attires just for show offs, somebody could think that these buyers are employed somewhere but actually that’s not the real case.

• The most sensitive area is when it comes to cohabitation whereby they act as married couples. In most cases, when it comes to selection of one's best choice, it is then the survival for the fittest so there is when now the beneficiaries ‘eat the fattest'.

What should be done?

• According to the experts, there should be appointed persons in the universities by the government who are good at giving out constructive advice to the students on funds expenditure in order to avoid this so called loan beneficiary’s disaster.

• Not only that, but also  guidance and counseling sessions as part of the courses syllabus would well suit the students and shape their minds hence styling up as well as  behaved  students in  the various campuses.

• In the spending of this money, it leads to time wastage and whittles the student’s performance too. Unless a person wake up one day and make self examination and realize the need for the revolution, then it will be good reason for emphasis to do so if one is not willing.

• Revelation shows that an ally of the students sometimes determines the usage of the funds. Good company spoil good morals show me your ally and I will tell you your character. It should always be noted in everyone’s mind, a time the  main agenda of being where one is, since life in the universities is too short and should be made use of, within that short time by doing the right thing at the right time and at the right place.

• However, the scripture also notes something related to time management and it should be bearer that there’s everything with a purpose on Earth. The way most of these loan beneficiaries live is so horrible and they really need much attention for that matter but also they should listen to their conscious and change for better.