Maha Al-Shehri
A group of female students at Taif University were recently in a fight, something that caused a commotion at the university. In an official statement issued the next day, the university said it had expelled all students involved in the fight and ended their hopes of ever completing their undergraduate studies. I strongly believe that the university management should not be absolved of its responsibility as it failed to control the behavior of these young women.
Issuing a warning to students who violate a university’s rules and then expelling them is not going to prevent fights from happening in the future. Unfortunately, many of our higher education institutions tend to impose strict measures and punishment on students who misbehave. This makes them similar to detention camps. They should instead create an environment that promotes positive behavior and provides students with tools that help them deal with the reality of life when they graduate.
A university’s role is not to hold a student who violates the rules responsible. Instead, the university should teach the student not to commit violations. When adult students fight on campus, this means that the university has failed to create the right environment that teaches students how to live disciplined lives. Universities should hire counselors who are well qualified to design programs that invest in the capabilities of students and show them how to deal with problems and difficulties in an effective way. The number of counselors should be commensurate with that of students. For example, there should be one counselor for every 140 students.
Most of our universities do not pay attention to students, especially female students, who seem to display signs of delinquency. In fact, many universities have completely failed to detect and treat delinquent behavior. As a result, they have become a fertile environment for arguments and fights and a place where female students can easily assault one another.
