Last month, Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) trained directors of discipline, patrons and matrons from different schools around the country.

Top on the agenda was how to tackle the indiscipline among students of all levels.

The training came in the wake of widespread cases of indiscipline among students at schools following the resumption of physical classes after the Covid induced break.

In June, a primary school student in Rutsiro District violently pushed and severely injured her teacher who was pregnant. The teacher later recovered.

In that same month, 20 students at GS Sainte Famille were embroiled in violent behaviour. They pelted school properties with stones.

Earlier in May, some students at GS Kabusunzu in Nyarugenge were suspended after for drinking alcohol and smoking from school premises in addition to bullying.

These cases divided public opinion, especially on who should shoulder the blame for the unruly children.

Educationists and commentators who spoke to The New Times apportioned responsibility to different players—teachers, parents and the society in which children are brought up.

"People have to understand that education starts from home, not at school,” says Emmanuel Mudidi, former Minister for Education, who has also taught in three different countries.

Parents are responsible for the discipline of their children before anyone else, he stated.

"Some people tend to confuse this thinking that if a student is indiscipline, only the school is to blame, but they forget to mention the parents.”

With parents giving less time to their children, Mudidi says that the situation is now more serious than ever.

"Parents leave all parenting responsibilities to house helpers and children are learning from televisions and the internet instead of their parents,” he observed.

Society too, he says, has loosened up on its responsibilities over the children in the community.

"A child belonged to the whole community. All parents were responsible for every child’s discipline. It helped the children to know social norms of the society, and they would grow up with Rwandan values and culture.”

For teachers, he says the training is insufficient.

"Having skills doesn’t make you a good teacher, knowing the psychology of the child and how to deliver those skills does. Because it will help you manage the students.”

He however raised another aspect, where students undermine their teachers because most of them live luxurious lives while their teachers live ordinary lives.

"It makes some students who didn’t learn good manners from home to trivialize their teachers, which is a serious issue,” he explained.

To Sr Hélène Nayituriki, a former headmistress at Lycée Notre-Dame de Cîteaux, the proliferation social media platforms has had serious influence on children’s behaviour.

She said that once the parents fail to control what their children consume on the internet it turns out to corrupt them and influences their behaviour.

She also blamed some schools for failing to set strict measures. 

"Some school authorities have loosened the tie, maybe because of something called ‘the children’s rights’ which is misinterpreted today. There are no such rights which are against good morals,” she added.

Commenting on the issue last month, the Minister of Education, Valentine Uwamariya, told the national broadcaster that when some of the students move from one level to another, they think of themselves as seniors and that lifts their egos.

She also blamed the parents for leaving their responsibilities of collaborating with the schools for the better education of their children.

"There are schools that tell us that when they punish a student, the parents intervene in the favour of their children even if they are wrong. Schools and parents should work together in educating and disciplining children,” she added.

What should be done?

Nayituriki suggested teachers and school authorities should spare some time to chat with the students.

"Some of them show bad behaviours because they don’t get attention from their tutors. When you chat with them, you get to know their problems and how you can help them, and that will prevent them from being rebellious.”

She also suggests that policymakers set clear rules, because some educators give up on disciplining children due to the fear that they might cross the line.

According to Mudidi, school authorities and teachers should take full control over the student so that they guide them in a better way, and rebuke them when they are wrong.

"Based on our history as Rwanda, and my experience from other countries where I was a teacher, I can’t advise corporal punishments. There are other kinds of punishments that can be used to discipline students instead of beating them because violence builds violence,” he added.

However, parents too ought to be good role models to their children.