*•NUT laments breakdown of discipline in schools *
**By Adesina Wahab **
Few days ago, the social media was agog with different scenes of final year secondary school students rejoicing after writing their final papers in the Secondary School Certificate Examination, SSCE, conducted by the West African Examinations Council, WAEC. The various scenes recorded in some parts of the country left many parents, social workers, teachers and even some students, concerned and bewildered.
The most audacious and seriously unbecoming behaviour of youngsters in a culture like ours, was recorded in Ondo State, where some students went as far as fondling one another in the public and recording same for transmission on the Internet. The state government.has since identified the affected students and schools and slammed some sanctions on them.
Sign-out started in tertiary institutions and there too, it became uncontrollable and even led to death on some occasions. Driven by peer pressure and social media influence, these celebrations often escalate from classic autograph-signing on white shirts, to dangerous public disturbances. Something that started as a simple cherished rite of passage where graduating students wore plain white shirts on their final exam day for classmates and lecturers to write farewell messages and well wishes on, has gone out of control. Processions often involve reckless behaviour, excessive alcohol consumption, and the vandalization of institutional facilities. The pouring of substances like paint, dirty water, and engine oil on colleagues is commonplace. Many tertiary institutions have since outlawed the event.
Speaking with VanguardLearning, the South-West Zonal Chairman of the Parent Teacher Association, PTA, of Unity Colleges, Mr Ayopo Somefun, flayed the indecent conduct of some students during the celebration of writing their final papers in school.
“We celebrate academic success, not misconduct. Completion of WASSCE is a landmark achievement for our children. We commend all students for their effort and resilience. However, we condemn the display of indecency, vandalism of school uniforms, and disorderly street gatherings that have accompanied some celebrations.
“This is a regional concern. What happened in Akure reflects a growing trend across our zone. If unchecked, it risks eroding the discipline, character, and academic reputation that Unity Schools are known for nationwide.
“Collective responsibility: The home, the school, vendors, and society all have a role. We cannot continue to outsource discipline to schools alone while leaving students unsupervised during a critical transition period.”
He also announced a ban on such activities in all unity colleges in the zone, saying the body would not sit down and allow such indecent behaviours to take root.
He called for structured post-WASSCE activities — sports, skills acquisition, STEM fairs, and civic engagement — across Unity Schools in the zone.
In his opinion, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Lagos State Council, Mr Gbenga Ayetoba, noted that teachers have been handicapped in disciplining students by government policies and societal tendencies. We have lost our value system and the centre can no longer hold. Teachers are character builders and moulders but the system has collapsed and it is not allowing teachers to do their job professionally. In the past, schools were seen as places of discipline where teachers were respected and students listened to the instructions given by teachers. That no longer obtains today, teachers cannot discipline students and schools are no longer places of discipline.
“Teachers today keep quiet when they see many things going wrong with their students because authorities have made it difficult for teachers to discipline students. Now, students with the backing of their parents, attack and harass teachers for disciplining students, the fallout is what we are seeing today.
“Let us go back to the old system – empower teachers, allow them to carry out their duties as parents cum teachers to their students. Some school authorities ridicule teachers in the presence of their students and students don’t respect their teachers any longer. In some nations, teachers are respected members of the society, they are not looked down on as if they are nobodies.
“They are paid well and are given the necessary support to really function as the moulders of the characters of the leaders of tomorrow,” he submitted.
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