Teacher’s Mind : Discipline does not stop at the school gate

I thought this week I would be talking about some of the different ways in which universities can generate income during times of reduced government funding. There is a lot about this topic in the press lately but I feel I have something more urgent to talk about. As anyone will tell you, the importance of discipline in the school system and in the life of younger people cannot be overemphasised. By their very nature, schools are a second home for anyone with a chance to attend them. Much of our earlier years are spent in school, and it is there that we learn so much. While in school, students are not only expected to grasp scientific formulas and historical facts but they are also expected to acquire acceptable morals and attitudes by being disciplined. Upon failure to do this then time spent in school can only amount to wastage of one’s school years. To their credit, most schools do not compromise when it comes to discipline. School rules are designed and students that fail to adhere are punished or even expelled from the school. However there is a problem especially among day scholars who behave while at school and forget everything the moment they walk out of school. The illusion is that the rules are for the school and not for the student, so a student only behaves while they are within the school boundary. Once outside, they are like a rabid dog let loose. Once a rogue student has gone past the school gate, he will immediately undo the neatly tucked uniform shirt. Some of them even get a casual shirt from their bags and it replaces the uniform. I have seen a couple of students who even have the audacity of folding their books and pushing them in their back pockets as if they were a wallet! A good number choose to lounge around town only going home when it is very late and dark. On Monday, I boarded a taxi from Kimironko and there were some young primary school girls who kept making so much noise in the taxi. They kept shouting at the bus conductor to come and collect his money and hurled lots of other unpleasant things his way. I was shocked because I cannot imagine what these children will be in the years to come if they continue unbated. The sight of students walking along the streets with loose hanging shirts and sagging trousers or shorts is now an everyday thing and we all seem to have gotten used and immune to it. Well not me. This irresponsible behaviour of people considered as the leaders of tomorrow is utterly disgusting, to say the least. Students need to know that the discipline being enforced at school or even at home is for their own benefit and does not cease to matter once one is past the school gate or past home. More importantly, one should conduct himself or herself in a decent manner while still dressed in the school uniform. Even when not wearing the school uniform, it is still important for a student to conduct himself/herself in a decent and social manner. Parents need to talk to their day- schooling children about the importance of good conduct outside school and teachers too need to stress this point as much as possible. School- going children should be a reflection of a decent future generation. The Schools ought to think about the idea of punishing students who misbehave while outside the school, because ultimately they bring scorn to the schools they attend. Imagine a student in school uniform hurling expletives to adults as he walks from school. Such a student deserves to be punished by the school if seen or heard, in order to safeguard the image of the school. Discipline should be maintained at all times if one is to make it in life. ssenyonga@gmail.com