By Abdullateef Abdullahi
It’s become customary for students to tack on a few extra weeks to the official resumption date of school. So much so that those who show up for the first lecture are often the ones who didn’t travel for the holiday break.
“Even if the lecturer is taking blood samples for attendance, I’m not showing up early,” is a common saying among students. This attitude has always baffled me. Whoever started this trend of late resumption did a disservice to students. He didn’t leave a good legacy!
Many students believe that the sooner you resume, the sooner ‘sapa’ will hit you. How true is this? Some students even show up just a week before the GST test, not caring about attendance. These folks act as though nothing can affect their CGPA, even if they miss out on the extra marks from attendance.
But does early resumption lead to early “Sápá” (brokenness), or is it just a baseless belief? The truth is, early resumption doesn’t make students go broke; it’s all about how they prepare before returning to school. Some will resume late and still find themselves broke early simply because they spend lavishly or perhaps didn’t prepare well.
To me, I believe that early resumption offers students the chance to prepare ahead of tests and examinations, but most students fail to see this. Punctuality is an important part of the academic journey, one that every student should prioritize.
However, the widespread belief that lectures won’t start promptly even if they do resume early has harmed some students. This mindset prevents them from tackling challenging courses that require more time and explanation to understand.
So, is it really about resuming early or late, or is it about how well you manage your time and resources? And the funniest part? This writer too is not resuming early either due to fear of ‘sapa’.