The struggles of a university student in Windhoek

By: Vaino Ndipolifa

There is no other really memorable part of life than university life, besides that university life itself comes with many day-to-day responsibilities, a series of challenges and many obligations which one must experience to acquire one's dream. The title of being a student is a pregnant title since people's expectations might be high, starting from the government, family members, citizens, friends, and everyone desires to benefit directly or indirectly from a student if things go well. However, the contradiction comes in as only a small number of people dare to contribute to the wellbeing of students.

The government wants to have qualified personnel in various ministries and administration chambers. Our local businesses aspire to employ qualified personnel, and the rest of the nation is hungry for up-to-standard services offered by well-qualified personnel.

I am a university student who has been exposed to all sorts of challenges that a number of today's students are suffering from. A university's challenging environment to me is not only a story to tell but it could be various lessons about life on which one has to adapt to some harsh and critical situations. Especially in the suburbs of Windhoek dwellers, because in these areas students seem to be the first targets for theft and robbery, for the reason that most of them carry expensive smartphones and laptops, and many of them have outfits with up-to-standard styles.

Moreover, students are in danger especially during nighttime and in some cases and at some places during the day. Again, cases of students being mugged and chased by robbers are common here and there and these can happen early in the morning when students are going to school or early in the afternoon, late evenings and during the night when students return from school. To add onto that, stories of students being ambushed are also common.

It is not on only about suffering, and environmental difficulties, but it might cost one's life over petty things. Just in recent days our country, a family, friends, and our Khomasdal campus have lost a future teacher. These are some of the events that made my tears roll more especially when such things are happing to the people who will be the civil servants of the future.

In spite of that, glaring issues are endless. There are a number of student-parents, and the situation of being a parent-student is also one of the troubling issues. Yes, there is a literal understanding that university life is preparing students so they can be responsible citizens who can make mature decisions on their own, but in our case, as Namibians, something needs to be done about the living conditions of our future working class.



Well, the means of transport to and from school is one of the current troubling issues among students that live in suburbs. Moreover, transport is one of the major problems that a huge number of day students are facing more especially in Windhoek, going to the campus is not an easy task as some people think it might be.

Early inthe morning a student has to wake up and prepare for the day normally as students do, but what pains most is going either to a taxi rank or a bus stop and have to spend two or three hours before you get transport that is taking you to campus. This worsens when some students want to go back to their homes, and this could be the most stressful moment ever, waiting for mini buses or municipal buses mostly for more than two hours.

However it is not only about waiting for a long time, it can be about who is stronger than who, because several times passengers of mini buses and municipality buses in Windhoek have been observed pushing each other, more especially early in the morning and in the afternoon at their bus stops. Again municipality buses which are the current affordable transport to everyone, targets customers that seem to be working citizens that work outside of town, not students and learners (which are the group of people that need support most) because they are not reliable especially with taking students back home.

In contrary such difficulties among students can only be solved when Namibians and the government are committed to change, support, and to save lives before we have too many drop outs and increases in criminal practices like robbery. Improvements can only happen when none of us is afraid to speak up and not be surprised by radical changes. I always have a feeling to suggest and propose projects, but sometimes it feels like my social status does not allow me to, however in the name of democracy one shall not hesitate to suggest or propose for changes in a democratic and free country like Namibia.

University hostel administration personnel should allow students to squat, if they can no longer build any other cheaper hostel that could be afforded even by a daughter or a son of a street vendor. Again the reason that transport is also a challenge, student funding institutions should come up with strategies on how they can find a means of transport that can transport students to and from campuses within a reasonable time. In spite of that our government should not just relax and watch like they are watching Manchester and Chelsea playing a final, responsible ministries should find ways to come up with projects that are aimed at improving students' poor situations.



*Vaino Ndipolifa is student studying towards a Bachelors degree in education at the University of Namibia.