Boarding school nights of vice

Students spend a lot of time on the Internet, but they are more likely to be looking at Face Book or soft porn than doing research for science projects, and many of those in boarding schools sneak out at night in search of sex, drugs and alcohol when their parents and teachers think they are studying or sleeping, according to surveys conducted by students themselves in Kenyan secondary schools.

A survey at a top boy’s school entitled Operation Mtandao indicated that 80 per cent of the 60 secondary school students queried use the Internet for entertainment and socialising, including looking at what they described as pornography, compared to the 5 per cent who say they use the net for educational purposes.

Although 65 per cent of the students questioned said they support the concept of e-learning, the student researchers said the very small number of students who use the Internet primarily for study represents “a very worrying trend”.

A survey at a top Nairobi girls’ school entitled Prison Break found that 87 per cent of the students would sneak out at night to go to clubs or to meet their boyfriends.

Another entitled Shag is now the Hug found that 36 per cent of the girls had already had their first sexual experience, while three quarters of them were now sexually active.

When asked who was responsible for their involvement in sexual activities before the age of 18, 64 per cent of the girls pointed to their parents.

The research indicated that although most of the students do not discuss sex with their parents, a quarter did say that their parents were aware that their daughters were sexually active.

These findings represent the efforts of some of the 2,000 members of the Research Clubs of Kenya, a project initiated by The Steadman Group two years ago to familiarise young people with research methods and how to use them to identify problems in their own schools.

“The aim is to demystify research and to get the young people to understand how to use it to help solve problems,” Emily Gumba, the RCK programme coordinator, told the Sunday Nation.

Secondary schools

She explained that Steadman had contacted a number of secondary schools and invited them to participate in the programme; those that responded were asked to select teachers to attend a two-day training course. Steadman provides mentors to help the student researchers once they have identified an issue they wish to investigate.

Since their inception in 2007, the research clubs have chosen to look into issues involving sexual activity, drug and alcohol abuse, Internet use and pornography and the ill effects—if any—of extracurricular activities on academic performance.

The results have generally revealed a darker side to secondary school life than parents and school administrators might like, but the research into after-class activities did indicate that participation in sports and clubs did not impact negatively on students’ school work.

The research into drug abuse indicates that nearly a quarter of the students in the school where the survey was conducted consumed alcohol, while 50 per cent said that fellow students were the primary source of the drugs they consumed.

A third of those questioned said they found the drugs — generally painkillers and cough syrups — at home, while 20 per cent said they also consumed them at home.

Readily available

In addition to prescription or over-the-counter remedies, ecstasy, mandrax and some cocaine are the most readily available drugs, according to the research findings that also indicated that most drug use happens during the holidays when students are home and theoretically under their parents’ supervision.

Coordinators of the RCK initiative said the survey sample size is generally 100 to 200 students in a school across Forms One through Four.

Although the survey results do not factor in the margin of error, they are considered to be fairly representative of students in the schools in the Nairobi region where the initial surveys have been conducted.

Ms Gumba, a teacher as well as a researcher with The Steadman Group, says that in today’s society there seems to be little time for parents to engage constructively with their children. The result is a general permissiveness in which core values are either ignored or set aside.

“As parents, we are the most immediate example that our children have, and we must set the right example,” she said, adding that students have many issues, and it is up to parents to build on the work of the teachers during the holidays.

Particular issue

“The main reason is that most of the time parents are not aware that their child is going through a particular issue, and without knowledge of the situation it is difficult to help the child,” said Maggie Ireri, the RCK programme coordinator.

She said there should be a collaborative effort between parents and teachers to handle the issues that may arise.

The student researchers noted that it is important for parents to spend more time with their teenage children to discover what their problems might be and to allow them to open up about them.

Without actually asking the question, several of the surveys found that students saw their parents as abdicating their supervisory role to teachers and school administrators.

When asked how they sourced the drugs they took, several respondents said their parents had given them painkillers.

“Even during social gatherings you will find parents allowing their children access to alcohol,” Ms Gumba said, adding that many urban homes have bars which makes it easy for students to drink.

The survey on sexual behaviour indicated that 64 per cent of the students who had begun to have sex at an early age blamed their parents for not discussing the matter with them and for failing to provide them with adequate information and guidelines.

One of the more sobering findings of the survey was that 75 per cent of the students questioned said they did not use any protection during their initial sexual encounter.

Sex education

Ms Gumba said although sex education figures on the secondary school syllabus, most teachers shy away from the subject because of the “potential embarrassment” such lessons might provoke.

``The right syllabus should assist teachers in instilling values, virtues and discipline among students, but due to the nature of the society we are in, many find it hard to call a spade a spade,” she said.

In the survey at a top boys’ school, 85 per cent of the students questioned said they believed looking at pornography in magazines and on the Internet was on the rise; 73 per cent said they themselves had looked at pornographic material — generally described as featuring “a young, attractive sexy lady” — and that the addictive practice had negatively affected their academic performance.