The Plight of Students Forgotten by Parents

By Kalama Fondo

Many students are more than happy once they are through with their secondary education waiting to be admitted and enrolled in higher institutions of learning not knowing what awaits them.They are excited to start a new chapter in their lives.However,for some students, this excitement and joy does not last long as they are left behind by their parents to be on their own while in campus.

These children and students are oftenly referred to as "Left Behind" or "Campus Orphans" who are left by their parents to fend for themselves in a world that can be both challenging and overwhelming."Parents are juggling alot, with work pressures, family obligations and life in general.It can be difficult to keep up with the schedule," said Dr Emily Clark, a child psychologist.But it is crucial to recognize that children rely on consistency and stability.Forgetting them at school can have long term effects on their sense of security and emotions in general.

The plight of these students has become a big and growing concern as parents tend to be relaxed and unbothered. Students tend to therefore indulge in risky behaviors and also dive deep into substance abuse knowning that there are no parents to watch after them. This then results to students performing poorly in their academics, having poor grades as a result of the failure to attend to lectures.

These students also tend to suffer in pain and battle with emotional stress. This in more cases results to them being in depression with no parents to talk to and thus leading to serious consequences including them taking even their own life because the depression is too much for them to handle on their own."If my parents could be supportive and ensure frequent checking up on me, I would not be here battling to do a bay with drugs. Drugs have become my closest friend now.No parent to talk to and that's why I resort to doing drugs day in day out," said Charles a university student in Chuka.

To most students, they are just left here surviving on their own.Girls tend to involve themselves in uncouth behaviors like prostitution since they are trying to make ends meet. Them being all alone and no one to support them leads them to do such things. They say they have all the freedom to do anything since their parents have abandoned them all by themselves.

This becoming a issue, students therefore require attention, care, love and support from their parents and guardians involved.The parents ought to take full responsibility for their children and ensure that they are not left behind all alone by themselves struggling.Programs such as counseling services, academic support and housing assistance should be implemented to address this issue which has now become the talk of most students while in school.