Debate: Should students share beds?

That is totally unacceptable In school you meet people whose background you don’t know. Someone could have an inherited disease, have spiritual backgrounds that are unknown and basically, more to them than what meets the eye. These aren’t things you see when randomly interacting with someone. When you get close to a person, for instance, so close that you share a bed, these ‘issues’ come to light. Someone might be very sweet and nice on the outside but the total opposite hence the saying that goes, ‘better stay with the devil you know than the angel you don’t know’. If you have to take serious caution with a mere housemate, imagine how critical your concern should be with someone you share a bed with. And this is why it has never made sense that students share beds. For adults, it is simply ridiculous. For health reasons, sleep isn’t something to be taken lightly. Students need their full attention to be able to digest whatever they learn in class, and this will be sabotaged because of the discomfort that comes with sharing a bed. The financial status of most students isn’t a secret. We all know the kinds of beds and mattresses students use. They are so small and thin with hardly enough room for one person. Perhaps universities should cut down on their intakes, or perhaps simply build bigger dorms. No one should pay that crazy tuition fee and still share a bed like we are living in caves. It is said that if someone stayed days without sleep and another days without food, the sleep deprived one would die first. I am not saying when you sleep with someone you are sleep deprived but I am showing the importance of a good night’s sleep and I don’t know about you, but sharing a single with someone twice my size does not sound comfortable at all. Also, what these universities might not know is that the consequences of a chronic lack of rest are much more serious and far-reaching than the vague feeling of fatigue you experience on and off during the day. There are ways to ensure a more healthy way of living, like hostels for example. Most universities in East Africa have price friendly hostels for students. Students do not have to commute and can get to campus any time because the hostel is close by. But even better, they can leave school and head to bed without worrying about the bedmate who hogs the covers! There is absolutely no reason to share a bed in this day and age. It is true some people see hostels as a way of “liberating” kids but it is not like that at all. With strict policies, hostels have turned out to be even better than halls. The options are there, we just need to embrace them. patrick.buchana@newtimes.co.rw They are cutting costs I honestly do not see a problem with same sex students sharing a bed at university. My limited economics in high school highlighted that if the resources are scarce, they should be utilised to serve the needs of the public effectively. If we are to hit the Vision 2020 target of the number of university graduates annually, then students sharing beds is one way we can achieve it. Sharing is caring. A student being able to sacrifice their comfort for their fellow students who can’t afford it so that they can attain education to have a decent career in future is indeed not only a decent thing to do, but actually kind of patriotic. Of course I will discourage students of different sexes sharing beds at university, because that is likely to affect their studies if they indulge in pre-marital sex and end up with unplanned children or diseases. If we are grooming the youth to try its best to utilise the limited available resources, this is a sign that we are raising a focused generation that has integrity, a core value of accountability. Let’s not forget that university education is not pocket friendly. You can’t come from paying Rwf 600, 000 worth of tuition and then go ahead and pay accommodation when one needs money for upkeep. I don’t see any problem if the students try to cut costs by sharing a room and a bed. It’s something they will do for just a few months in four years. What is the worst that could happen? In fact we should really appreciate the initiative of these students of finding ways of living within their limits. These students could decide to get into shady deals like sugar daddies or sugar mummies to raise money for proper accommodation than share beds. But all they want is to graduate and earn a decent living. I don’t believe the arguments that when students share a bed, one doesn’t sleep well hence affecting their productivity in class. As the saying goes, charity begins at home, most of us were raised in an extend family and at some point in life we have shared a bed with a sibling or relative. In the earlier days, a couple would give birth to eight or twelve children in a three or two bed-roomed house. Has anyone thought of where the children slept? Therefore people should stop the fuss of discouraging students from sharing beds unless of course there are some social vices that are developed from sharing a bed. Only then can we discourage the act. doreen.umutesi@newtimes.com

Lifestyle

Debate: Should students share beds?