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The rising cases of mental health issues among university students have forced several institutions of higher learning to come up with counselling and rehabilitation centres and mentorship programmes to respond to the challenge.
Zetech University, for instance has established a Peer Counselling Club, where they train responsible students on soft skills who then guide and support their peers who have been affected by the condition. This initiative is particularly aimed at helping students who are too shy or intimidated to seek help from university authorities, such as deans or lecturers.
The University Dean of Education Prof Owen Ngumi said the club came up after the realization that several students were sinking into depression and lacked support systems to help them.
He said the pressures in universities which range from financial struggles, peer influence and too much social media and drugs continue to consume the young generation that if not checked, might be detrimental to the country’s future.
“That’s why we came up with the peer club where responsible students help the university reach to those facing depression. Besides, we have a counselling unit as well as a group of experts to help those suffering from mental health issues,” Prof Ngumi said.
He pointed out that the overuse of social media platforms have made students to disconnect from their immediate relationships with friends, family, and peers leading to a loss of real-world connections, which further exacerbates feelings of loneliness and alienation.
Students like Joy Muthoni said were it not for several mentorship programmes that the school has organised over time, many students would give fallen victims of mental health.
“I have seen several colleagues get consumed by depression due to financial struggles, social media and drugs. To address this, mentorship programmes, counselling units are needed, Muthoni said.
To address financial struggles among students, Muthoni called on institutions of higher learning to set up a kitty to fund the less fortunate through their studies.
” Some institutions have such a kitty to help needy students and this should be replicated in most universities,” she said.
By Muoki Charles
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