Students’ engagement highlights
RESEARCH has shown that women are among the most vulnerable groups in our society and effort to uplift them should therefore be a never ending process.
Female students at tertiary institutions and out of tertiary institutions are faced with a myriad of challenges which in some instances lead them to make uninformed decisions in order to survive.
The economic downturn which our country is going through has resulted in numerous obstacles for innocent female youths.
Several scholars have alluded to the status of women who are negatively portrayed and regarded. Negative cultural and religious beliefs are often used to support and maintain values and practices that relegate females to subordinated positions. Consequently, the status of women has generally become a human rights issue.
In Zimbabwe, female students at various institutions of higher learning have faced a lot of socio-political and economic problems as a result of socio-traditional attitudes that continue to be reinforced by socialization which labels them as second class citizens.
They have double trouble because society has placed the woman at the lowest rung of the human ladder. As most of them graduate, they are sidelined from participating in the vital activities thereby excluding them from making of vital decisions.
As Professor Patrick N Wachege of the University of Nairobi, Kenya, notes, “we do this just because they are of another sex and another gender taking advantage over them in the state, in society and in life.”
The history of women in Zimbabwe shows the plethora of struggles that they have suffered thus society is encouraged to seriously reflect on the “silent and undeclared war” between women and men, especially negative attitudes towards women.
The challenges that women face create a situation where most of them operate within the “little opportunities’ circle”.
It is against this background that effort should continually be put to address challenges of females in society, particularly students.
In this article we focus on female tertiary students’ response to a recent visit to the University of Zimbabwe campus by the First Lady and 10 high-profile leaders. Thousands of students from various tertiary institutions came to Harare for the symposium.
We took time to interview some of these female students from the University of Zimbabwe in an effort to get their views on the crucial symposium.
In life there is always need for someone to look up to for guidance and motivation. These female students face accommodation problems, unaffordable tuition fees and alarming food prices.
The First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa and female business leaders among them Dr Abigail Magwenzi of Red Lipstick Revolution; Mrs Barbara Muyengwa a senior official from Zimbabwe Women’s Micro Finance Bank; Mrs Victoria Ruzvidzo the Editor of The Sun
day Mail; talk show host, Mai Rebecca Chisamba; motivational speaker, Dr Florence Mishi; and entertainer, Tammy Moyo, came specifically to empower these female students at an event running under the theme, “Tertiary Girls on the Go # Connect, Develop, Empower.”
Topics that were discussed included HIV/ Aids and youth, Gender- based violence and sexual abuse, drug abuse, “blessers”, grooming and etiquette, Project empowerment, hygiene and social media.