“Bye! Bye! Remember who you are,” waved a parent to his daughter as she boarded a plane for her university education.
Knowing what one is and remembering who (s)he is is the greatest challenge facing students of institutions of higher learning, says Fr. Patrick Kanja Wachira, a catholic chaplain at the University of Nairobi.
Indeed, Dr. (Fr.) Wamugunda Wakimani, the Dean of Students at University of Nairobi says that the university is out to address spiritual needs of its students, since spiritual growth is as penitent as intellectual endeavors, physical fitness or social development - for holistic development of the students.
For Abdulikadir Hashim, the Muslim chaplain – counseling students, carrying out religious rites, and fostering interfaith dialogue and erecting forums for lectures on various topics, is his package of duty.
Fr. Wachira says that as a chaplain he presses forward to enable students realize how relevant it's to address their spiritual needs, yes, that spiritual nourishment adds value to their every day living.
“Since most students are joining this institutions of higher learning from various parts of the country, rural areas. They find themselves going through a culture shock and, yes, identity crisis,” Fr Wachira says, “it's with this background our universities instituted chaplaincy services, for student to find spiritual stamina and a community to identify with while schooling.”
“Female students are the main victims of this culture shock,” says Hashim, “I encourage students to form associations – such as – The University of Nairobi Muslim Association – as it gives them an opportunity to be close together.”
“Students need to have a clear identity of who they are: sons and daughters of the Lord,” says Wachira, “students without a center (identity) fall on anything.”
The chaplain encourages students to reexamine and confirm that their identity is correct, true – since they're in a world filled with contradictions and conflicting ideologies and schools of thought, theories and maxims, myths.
“True identity enables one to decide on what is right or wrong,” he says, “believing in the existence of God and living according to that believe is essential for peaceful, purposeful and joyous living for the students within and without the institution of learning.”
Wachira who has a background in sociology of education, says that this calls for chaplains to espouse an insightful understanding of the young people's world. Indeed, “well meaning students can find themselves out of track....”
The chaplain says that they don't have all answers to students real - life questions, rather they encourage students to nurture an intimate relationship with Jesus who is the answer to every question, and able to meet all their needs.
“Student need to fathom that human answers to their questions and problems are never absolute - some with time become obsolete, but God's word never changes,” says Garland Dulan general conference of SDA, director of education, “it can always be relied upon.”
Dulan says that chaplaincy is a noble service for students to access, always: it raises them to a higher ground were they can open their hearts, humble their mind to reason with the Lord, their creator.
“Age old debate between science and religion rages on, as if the two are standing in a duel of contradiction,” insightfully says the priest, “but this theory and other debate on sex before marriage, use of condoms, abortion..., tend to confuse students to struck a balance. Christianity is not against evolution per se; for the Bible is not a science text, rather it's about the truth.” The priest encourages students to be Bible scholars, for a better understanding, to take informed position in conflicting issues.
Chaplaincy glues students from all disciplines to espouse religion as a way of life, to discard philosophies and teachings that seek to legitimize that the end justifies means. “There is good and bad: We should not use a bad mean to achieve a good end.”
Elisba Muthon, a Third year, BA Social Work student says that chaplaincy services complements her academic pursuit. It affords guidance and counseling in making right choices from a matrix of compelling and competing forces - it's a cape of good hope, where comfort and encouragement, fellowship and worship are graciously meld for those willing to partake.
“Knowledge drawn from various disciplines of study has its rightful place in our daily living,” says a Fourth year, Biochemistry student, “but it cannot touch my heartily pains or respond to some of the basic, far reaching questions of this life.”
“But friendship, counseling, fellowship and persistent encouragement from one of the chaplains and members of the association, which I now belong to, blacked me from drug and alcoholic addiction,” he says. He encourages other students with untold of challenges, beyond their ability to access chaplaincy services in their respective institutions. “They will be surprised when they will come to their senses - of burdens and sorrows, stress and pain borne in vain. Peace that surpasses knowledge - like a river will attend their way as they climb academic ladder.”
Another student from one of the local university challenges those who subscribe to various religions and denominations to live up to their creed – since that will demystify complicated theological interpretations - that keep on bellowing in institutions of learning, confusing many students.
It's on this point that Fr. Wachira says, “some times students are critically right: it's demoralizing when leaders fail. But even when Christian leaders fail it doesn't make the word of God irrelevant.” He encourages students to let Jesus be their role model.
Academic honours attained by students in colleges might fade with time, says Pr. Cecil Wamalika, former KU chaplain, currently serving at the University of Eastern Africa,Baraton, but character formed in the similitude of God's word (while in college) will be like a candle set on a mountain top that no wind will put off.
Bye! Bye! Remember who you are.
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