In the previous article titled “5 Reasons students Drop out Of Higher Institutions in Nigeria” I discussed reasons most students drop out of  colleges, polytechnics and universities, and I said that this problem has gone sky-high and is threatening the very core of our educational system. I mentioned the reasons as being financial constraints, distraction, the attitude of some lecturers, parent’s decisions and cultism. And I promised that in the next article I will tell you possible solutions to this problem.

As I earlier said, dropping out of school have raised its ugly head for so long and therefore needs to be curbed. The students, parents, lecturers, schools and then the government, each of them are either directly or indirectly affected. They all need to take a step and be determined to make a successful U-turn to make it easier for our students to finish their education at the desired time.

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Based on the causes earlier mentioned, I will outline the possible ways we can end this problem.

1. To the Students: I would tell the students to be focused in their academics. There is something we call goal-setting . You need to have a starting point and a finishing line. I believe before you entered into the university you must have had a few things you hope to achieve, so why don’t you stick to that and avoid negative distractions that will lure you away from your studies. Set your goals right, at that time education should be your top-most priority. Am not saying you should not have a break sometimes, but let it be at the right time. The other aspect is allowing your parents to choose a career for you, you are you and you can’t possibly be them. Sit and reason with them why you can’t accept their chosen career, tell them respectfully what your dreams are. There is no point in venturing into something you know you won’t be able to excel in. It is not a sin to tell your parents you write better than constructing roads or performing surgery.

2. To the Parents: Daddy, don’t force your child to be a doctor simply because you are a doctor and you want your child to inherit the family profession. Mummy, don’t tell her she must become a lawyer just because you wanted to be a lawyer but you couldn’t. Parents stop threatening your children by telling them you won’t pay their school fees if they don’t accept a career you choose for them. He might be very good at literature and poor at physics. Please, let them do what they know how to do best. Let them live their dreams not yours, give them the opportunity to excel so you won’t call them failures in the future.

3. To the Lecturers: Stop victimizing your students, they came to study under you not to sleep with you. Take them as your children. Please, they have already paid school fees, stop telling them to pay extra fees on sorting. Encourage them to excel and stop frustrating them. Remember you would not like your children to be treated the same way you are treating them. Give them your support and advise them to live a good life while in school.

4. To the School: I believe the school stands at a vantage position to know the well-being of her students. The schools’ administration should oversee the activities of both her students and lecturers. Most school authorities do not know that their student are victimized by the lecturers, others know but prefer to turn deaf ears. Schools should set panels that students could lodge complaints and are taken care of. Most a times students are afraid to report such cases because they know that it will just be a waste of time. The school authorities should have a one-on-one connection with their students; lines of communication should be open to create opportunity for a two-way communication between the authority and the students. A strong security system should be set up to protect the students from the dangers of cultism. Each head of department should have the list of students in the department and make inquiries about any student that misses.

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5. To the Government: The government should care enough to make scholarship open to the poor student who cannot afford to finance his education. Currently, scholarships that are meant for the poorer folks can only be assessed by the rich and the famous, how then do we expect the poor students to survive. The government should bring resources into the education sector and set a team to monitor how the funds are being managed. A work-study scheme should be set up for students who can’t afford to pay for their education but are willing to work to support their education while they study.

Finally, the government should take time to visit her institutions and dialogue with staff and the students. This will create a common ground for interaction.

Yes, taking one step at a time will do the magic. It is better to start somewhere to solve this problem. We can’t just sit and fold our hands and watch our youths drop out of school and roam the streets.  Of course there are effects of dropping out school because of mistakes that can be avoided.

In the next article I will go further to discuss the effects of dropping out of school on the students, the society and the government at large if this problem is not solved.