By Tswelopele Makoe
AS another year draws to an end, the annual end-of-year examinations are upon higher education students with inherent stress.
This is a critical point for multitudes of students, as they prepare to be tested in exam rooms and thereafter await their impending academic results with great anticipation.
This is a determining point in their academic journey, one that will shape their immediate and distant future all at once.
In the new year, many students will be confronted with a new path. Some will proceed onto another academic year, while others will repeat their modules. Some will look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel – graduation. Others will, unfortunately, face academic or financial exclusion. Such is a life of a higher education student in a nutshell.
The masses of students that are fortunate enough to graduate will oftentimes face further challenges in the outside world. The pressures of leaving their campus and finding a job, paying back student loans, building their professional portfolios, and supporting their families.
Oftentimes, there is a widespread misconception that students coming from higher education will receive instant gratification, empowerment, and financial stability. The reality is that the challenges and the pressure of graduate students is immense, and generally goes unrecognised.
In the current South African context, there are 4.7 million unemployed youths, effectively more than 60% of the nation’s young adults. Many of the students who pursue higher education are the first in their household – sometimes their whole family – to do so.
As a result, graduates are often looked to for guidance, financial support, and overall mentoring. It is a cross they carry all by themselves. As of 2023, our nation’s poverty rate stands at 61.60%, effecting more than 30 million citizens.
Ultimately, the majority of successful graduates will inherit an array of responsibilities and begin a more strenuous life than they are previously used to.
In the recent past, I have written about the numerous challenges that are faced by South African students: From challenges with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), to student housing crises, financial exclusion and debilitating mental health difficulties, among others.
The troubles of South African students are being dangerously neglected. Furthermore, these challenges contribute to the breakdown of their mental health, determination, and overall well-being.
The predominant impediment to the success of graduates is undoubtedly financial. From repaying student loans, to the expenses of undertaking new jobs and training, to supporting their households and families, the financial demand on new graduates is monumental. Balancing financial obligations can be an uphill battle.
Many graduates do not find immediate employment in their desired field, and oftentimes settle for remedial work in order to support themselves. New jobs also come with a unique set of demands, such as new schedules, training, networking, and securing a professional network.
Some graduates need to consolidate the gap between their education, and the skills required in the job market. At times, this requires taking time to volunteer, pursue internships, and gain work experience.
This also requires continuous learning and upskilling, which takes time and resources to pursue – time and resources that many do not have to spare anyway. Ultimately, the pursuit of financial stability, more often than not, results in longer working hours, heightened stress, societal pressures, and uncertainty.
Graduates are essentially commencing their new journey into adulthood. A graduate’s attainment of a degree or certification does not necessitate their success in the real world.
For many, graduation does not necessarily mean the beginning of abundance and prosperity. Innumerable students face these challenges, and many more are oblivious to the troubles that potentially face them after graduation.
It is essential that students, both in and out of school, prioritise their mental, physical, and spiritual well-being during this strenuous journey. It is pertinent that they explore their passions and interest, in order to actualise a fulfilling future.
It is fundamental that they maintain a healthy work-life balance, that they prioritise self-care. It takes time and consistent effort to build professional relationships, and to establish oneself in the workplace.
Manoeuvring these challenges will require stealth resilience, flexibility, adaptability, and creativity. Young people are utilising technology to establish businesses, to promote their skills and professions, to further their studies and collaborate with like-minded individuals.
We are living in a time where access to information - and as a result personal empowerment - is at everyone’s fingertips. The possibilities for growth and prosperity are endless. Young people everywhere are using education to empower themselves, and to actualise a successful future, and it is pertinent that they are bestowed all of the tools to do so successfully.
Educating oneself is a sure-fire way of empowering oneself. An admired phrase amongst global philosophers is accurate in saying: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
* Tswelopele Makoe is a Gender Activist. She is also an Andrew W Mellon scholar, pursuing an MA Ethics at UWC, and affiliated with the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice. The views expressed are her own.