Quick fixes from education ministry no panacea to student indiscipline

What you need to know:

  • The wave of dormitory fires prompted Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi to abolish mock examinations, with the thinking that students were protesting against the unjust punishment of sitting examinations.
  • These young ones are not in school merely to learn and pass, but to grow and acquire habits that will enable them survive in the society.
  • It is a transitional time during which the mind is easily impressionable, and could easily fall for peer influences and evanescent joys.

The spotlight this month has shifted to high school students. It started with strikes across the country.

In search for the root of the problem, examination ranking and holiday tuition were fingered – and swiftly abolished. We are now grappling with an even bigger problem.

Students have been implicated in arson attacks, some resulting in fatalities.

The wave of dormitory fires prompted Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi to abolish mock examinations, with the thinking that students were protesting against the unjust punishment of sitting examinations.

This week, another drama unfolded; students from various schools in Nyeri were arrested for possession of illicit drugs and engaging in indecent acts.

One wonders whether, at this rate, Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination might also be banned. Although the culture of fierce competition may contribute to the cases of indiscipline, it is only a trigger.

Elsewhere lies the roots of the problem. Teachers look seemingly helpless in the face of a changing adolescent population. Parents are clueless at best. Education stakeholders stare at the two players with accusing eyes.

Conventional wisdom demands that the roots of a problem are unearthed before a solution is found. All the quick fixes coming from the ministry of education are just symptomatic therapy. Unless real cure is found, the symptoms will fester again in no time.

Who is to blame for the rise in cases of indecency and indiscipline in our schools? We must start where it all begins: home.

The modern parent is radically different from the traditional parent. Fast-paced life, economic constraints, community breakdown and information technology have relegated the parent to remote-controlled parenting.

When the ministry of Education bans holiday tuition, many parents are silently angry. They are itching to transfer parental responsibility to the teacher.

At the earliest opportunity, adolescents are exiled either to holiday camps or tuition. Parents become strangers to their children.

The fog has lifted from the eyes of many parents. When their children are expelled from school, they can easily obtain court injunctions.

To them, providing materially for their children is more important than bringing up a responsible individual.

When in school, parenting responsibility is transferred to the teacher. That essentially means that the role of a teacher is to foster a holistic individual, both academically and socially.

These young ones are not in school merely to learn and pass, but to grow and acquire habits that will enable them survive in the society.

Parents and teachers must understand that adolescence is a period of vulnerability and adjustment.

It is a transitional time during which the mind is easily impressionable, and could easily fall for peer influences and evanescent joys.

They are therefore biased to seek immediate rather than long-term gains due to heightened responsiveness to rewards. That’s biology.

It can’t be changed. What can be changed is how parents, teachers and the society relate with our adolescents.

One, parents must exercise intentional parenting, as opposed to “helicopter” parenting. Getting engaged in their daily lives, their worries, goals and aspirations is fundamental. Never believe your child is perfect.

Be on the lookout constantly for any signs of change – early intervention works.

Second, parents ought to delicately balance non-confrontational and confrontational parenting. Parents’ words and deeds must match.

Positive reinforcement of good behaviour, as well as negative reinforcement of untoward behaviour, should be done.

The writer is a medical doctor, author and motivational speaker. He’s currently a resident in Internal Medicine at the University of Nairobi [email protected] @pbkarau)