When Students are forced to consume what they pay for

Back in my high school, our Economics teacher said something that I have proved to be true over the years. He said, “Students are the only consumers that are forced to take what they have paid for.”If one has been through school or still is, then they can relate to this. Most times, it’s the teachers and parents that plead with students to attend classes, go for prep, do their homework, assignments and read their books. Students pay school fees for the education service but often times the people they pay (school) force them to take the service. How ridiculous! Hillary Ngarambe, a parent of four says he spends millions of money each term to put his children through school. He says that sometimes they bring terrible reports not because they are stupid but because they do not care to concentrate in school. “Students don’t feel the pinch since it’s their parents’ money and not from their own pockets. As parents we also want to wear the best clothes and shoes but we sacrifice all this for our children to have the best of education,”Ngarambe says. He says that most students do not realize that parents spend a fortune just to see them through school. Most of them throw it all away! Other consumers who pay for a good service will even fight to the last bone not to get cheated. However, it’s a totally different story when it comes to consumers called students. While the teachers get rich from the school fees the parents struggle to pay, the students do not give a damn about it. Some will even afford to waste a whole term lousing at school only to perform poorly and expect caregivers to keep spending on them. Sharon Kamikazi,a 2nd year student at the National University of Rwanda (NUR) says that all students are capable of utilizing and making the best of the service they pay for. “It’s so true that many students (consumers) actually pay for a service but don’t really take it. Most times, it’s because they don’t care. They go to school and waste time doing other things, by the time they realize the term has ended and it’s too late to get the good grades,”Kamikazi says. Kamikazi advises students not to waste the money their parents pay for them to get a good education. They should concentrate at school and read hard. She adds that every student has the potential to perform well and be like all the other consumers who claim and make good use of what they’ve paid for. It takes some effort, reading hard, being disciplined and concentration at school! m.kaitesi@yahoo.com