As a student, I have seen quite a few reasons why some students don’t end up doing brilliantly well in their academics, and one of those many reasons is money. Now, as a student, if you don’t have anything doing that gives you money, there is every tendency that you might be feeling frustrated every now and then because the life of a student is not a cheap one at all. For those of us who barely have someone taking care of our bills, we most times find ourselves neglecting the major reason why we are in school just to make sure we survive.
I know how many times I’ve told myself that I can’t kill myself, so instead of studying, I find myself trying to make money or just resting because I feel exhausted. In fact, at some point, I always feel like I’m not just a school person because I’m always struggling to study because my mind is always concerned with one bill or another I need to settle. Knowing that I don’t have so many people to ask for assistance, I just have to keep neglecting my studies to help myself out.
Recently, in my place of worship here in school, something like this was discussed, and they have agreed to give cash prizes to those students that do really well for every semester. At first, I thought it was outrageous, but now that I see how much I neglect my studies and almost never care sometimes, I came to see that the struggle for some students is real. Luckily for me, I have a place where I get to generate little income almost every day, which is sometimes not even enough, not to talk about those who don’t have anything doing at all.
This is one reason why some of them end up giving in to doing things that they would never have done. Students are going through a lot, and I can speak for the students in my country because i have discussed with a lot of them, and now I’m even one. They have food to think about, they have textbooks and even notebooks to worry about. They have some handouts they need to get and some dues they need to pay. They have hostel rent to pay, and of course, their books to read.
Trust me, it takes so much determination to still focus on your studies with all these things surrounding you as a student. And as a student who, before going to the university, already has a plan of being part of the top students, it will be a complete struggle for you. And sadly, some of these students are not lucky enough to meet up with that goal, and sometimes these are some of the reasons why they end up falling into depression and even committing suicide.
So giving out cash prizes to those who have proven to give their best to their studies is not bad at all for me. Especially now when most young minds already have the wrong idea that school is a scam. When they see that education actually pays, they will most times be more interested in giving their best to their studies. Even though the prizes will be a motivation to them, it will also help to make them more useful to their society in the long run.
Well, I do feel that giving out cash prizes can have some negative effects over time, and that is why I’d advice such opportunities should not be unlimited. It should be an opportunity that can be reviewed based on its effectiveness. Definitely, this might not work for everyone, so having it on review will help make it all balanced and more effective.
There are other ways I feel students can be encouraged, and one of them is supplementing the prices of some books and even course registrations so they don’t have to worry too much about having access to those things that can help them become better students. Cash prizes can come in for those sets of students that did exceptionally well, and if possible, in an impromptu way, so students can always be on their heels because they don’t know when such opportunities will surface again.
Personally, I would really feel encouraged right now if I don’t have to worry too much about settling some bills as a student, and I believe that goes for many others too. But in all, it’s always good to find a good balance for everything so as to ensure the smooth running of things.
This is my response to the interesting Hivelearners topic on “CASH REWARD FOR ACADEMIC BRILLIANCE”