Discipline in schools requires all

The Monitor Editor | Wednesday August 20, 2025 10:18

Whilst 2,000 cases amongst half a million learners remain a minority, the nature of the offences which include vicious bullying, drug abuse, vandalism, and violence broadcast online is deeply alarming. This isn't just a school problem, but a societal wake-up call.

Discipline starts at home. Parents are the first teachers. When parental guidance weakens, classrooms feel the chaos. Research linking poor monitoring to teen aggression and substance abuse cannot be ignored. The troubling gap in behaviour between public and private schools further highlights the complex interplay of home life, resources, and community expectations.

Yet, pointing fingers solves nothing. As the minister declared, this is not a battle for government alone. His call to arms uniting parents, teachers, unions, chiefs, councillors, churches, civic groups, counsellors, and MPs is the only path forward. Discipline must be 'reinforced at school, and sustained by the community'.

Therefore, we urge all these stakeholders to come together urgently with a clear, shared mission of defining what acceptable, effective enforcement of discipline looks like in schools today.

The ministry’s steps of scaling up counselling, youth clubs, leadership programmes, sports, and cultural activities are positive. So is the planned National Indiscipline Response Framework and community dialogues. But these need a solid foundation, a common understanding of enforceable boundaries and consequences that are firm, fair, and understood by all.

The debate around corporal punishment, raised by MPs, underscores the critical need for this consensus. What methods do work? How do we balance a child's rights with their responsibilities and the right of all to a safe, orderly learning environment? How can schools be consistently supported by parents and the wider community when rules are broken?

We cannot afford paralysis. Social media ensures every ugly incident scars our national conscience. We must move beyond lamenting the past and blaming any single group. Every stakeholder has a role: parents must engage actively; communities must support schools; government must resource strategies effectively; traditional and religious leaders must reinforce societal values.

The solution lies in unity of purpose. Let parents' groups, teacher unions, community leaders, and government departments convene without delay. Let them debate openly and constructively. Let them forge a practical, modern code of discipline, one that protects, corrects, and ultimately empowers our children. Our schools, and our nation's future, depend on this shared endeavour. Let’s get to work.