Prior to the school closure, schools had regulations stipulating acceptable behaviour for different players in the school including learners, teachers and other staff. Following the rules had become part of the learner’s culture. Many schools found it easy to enforce the regulations with the exception of a few cases.
However, after the 22 months of school closure, teachers in many schools visited by our reporter raised concern about cases of indiscipline among learners, some of them very extreme and dangerous.
Ronald Kasadha, the deputy headteacher in charge of academics at Namirembe Hillside High school, says student discipline has worsened. Kasadha says that many are now disrespectful towards their peers and teachers.
“Discipline is key to learning. Before the lockdown, learners had been fine-tuned to given standards of behaviour. Now, they are returning after two years and they are behaving the opposite of what they used to be,” Kasadha noted.
Godfrey Kimbugwe, the headteacher at Hormisdallen primary school raised similar concerns. He explains that many learners are big-headed and don’t listen to the instructions given by teachers.
Kimbugwe says that many learners are abusive and unafraid of uttering vulgar words to their peers and teachers, which was not the case before the prolonged school closure.
Rogers Nambuli, the headteacher of Nakasero primary school, says that physical fighting is another tendency that has been sighted among learners. “This had decreased in our schools. But these days it’s coming back. they fight in classrooms, and on their way back to school,” Nambuli said.
He noted that the school has put up a mechanism, where teachers keep a close eye on learners to ensure that indiscipline cases are monitored. The headteacher notes that at times he is forced to jump on a Boda-boda to monitor how the learners behave on their way home.
Rogers Kakaire, the headteacher of Yudesi primary school, says that besides the extreme cases of discipline, the learners lack soft social values and ethics as many cannot even say sorry after doing something wrong.
As the saying goes charity begins at home, Professor Peter Atekyereza, a sociologist from Makerere University, says that what is seen at school is a reflection of the environment where the children have been during the prolonged school closure.
He explains that in the last two years, learners have adapted to a life without rules or regulations. “Those who have been in areas where uttering vulgar words is not a problem have been doing so. It is hard for them to control how they use their language shortly after returning to school,” he adds.
Professor Atekyereza adds that many learners have been sunk into domestic violence where parents disrespect each other and at times fight, a behaviour they have carried into the school.
But Dr Paul Nyende, a psychologist says that it is expected for some children to have behavioural issues as most of them have been locked in horrible units called homes where parents don’t care about them while others lived without close supervision on what they do for the last two years.
Dr Nyende is worried that unless the learners receive adequate counselling and support to cope with the emotional challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, there will be a surge in behavioural issues and punitive indiscipline.
“I predict there will be a train wreck if we don’t staff up and provide the services, especially mental health services to all the kids who may need them. Teachers should go back to square one and try to discipline these children. Talk to them, guide them,” says the psychologist.
He, however, cautions teachers against using violent means of disciplining children, corporal punishment and evidence of school-level policies to handle such issues. He notes that using cruel methods could worsen the bad situation.
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