Major causes of indiscipline in schools
School discipline is one of the factors of good education in the country, therefore, it is necessary to train teachers to deal with their students and instill discipline at school. This issue is usually a problem for a lot of schools even in the most developed countries. Indiscipline can significantly affect the education of your child negatively, that is why you must know these top 10 causes of indiscipline in schools and how to deal with them!
What is discipline?
Discipline in schools is a required set of rules administered to teachers and students, which they have to obey or expect to be punished for their disobedience. Discipline sets rules as guidelines and limitations for students; school rules are necessary to set up the basis of social behavior for young minds.
Most of these rules are usually established by the government. The Ministry of Education provides certain necessary guidelines to schools; the schools also have the power to set up their own rules and punishment for disobedience according to the international standards and the government's recommendations. These rules may include dress code, timekeeping, school schedule, work ethic, social behavior and so on.
What is indiscipline?
Indiscipline in schools is the violation of school rules; it is the complete opposite of discipline and it is necessary to stress that indiscipline is not welcomed in any school. Indiscipline in schools can be observed in different ways, including inside the classroom and outdoors. These violations include:
- Improper dressing
- Lateness
- Misbehavior
- Bullying
- Hooliganism
- Damaging property
- Drug abuse
- Other immoral acts
The student behavior policy is the fundament for adequate education in schools, therefore, it is always necessary to analyze and investigate the causes of indiscipline.
Let`s take a look at the top 10 major causes of indiscipline in Nigerian secondary schools!
Top 10 causes of indiscipline in school
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1. Parents` attitude
The proper upbringing of children is first and foremost the responsibility of their parents, but a lot of people seem to forget this interesting fact! Therefore, they always expect that their problems with the children should be blamed on the schools they attend. This is a very wrong assumption, the parents’ failure to instill discipline in their children should not be blamed on the school.
2. Environmental Factors
Another great cause of children`s misbehavior is the environment they grow up in. It gets quite difficult to expect any kind of discipline in children if the school is located in a bad neighborhood. Also, the emotional development of children is greatly dependent on everything that surrounds them, including the movies they see, their communication with adults, music, ecology and so on.
3. Family Instability
Many cases of indiscipline in secondary schools are connected with family instability. Children can be influenced by everything around them and constant family quarrels can become the cause of major psychological trauma in their life, which in turn makes them exhibit similar behaviors at school. The emotional stress which is brought on children by their families can eventually disrupt discipline in educational institutions.
4. Media Influence
In this computer age, you tend to find a lot of children whose minds have been completely poisoned by the media, which is currently filled with information and cases related to violence, crimes and different kinds of misbehavior. Kids tend to copy a lot of things they see in the media, but unfortunately, it is illogical and impossible to shut down the media industry! However, parents can at least limit the access of some media resources to kids, that will greatly improve their behavior at school.
5. Economic Instability in the country
The economic instability in the country can be a major cause of misbehavior at schools. A teacher who receives very little salary will not be very interested in teaching children properly. At the same time, parents may need to work longer and harder to make ends meet, and will not have enough time for their children.
6. Government Policy
Another major cause of misbehavior in schools can be the government's educational policies. In a lot of cases, the government does not provide adequate instructions and rules to follow, and when this problem is combined with their indifference to the proper training of educational personnels in schools, it could lead to disaster.
7. School Leaders’ Professionalism
It is impossible to maintain order in school if the school authorities (who are responsible for this order) do not obey rules themselves. The principal of any school should set a good example for their colleagues and the students. Therefore, it is always necessary evaluate the professionalism of principals.
8. Government Interference
Sometimes government interference and policies provide more harm than good to schools. One of the main problems with the government is that they tend to assume all schools are the same when making policies. Nigeria is a big nation which consists of many tribes; therefore, it is necessary to provide educational policies in line with the different cultures of the lands.
9. Teachers` Professionalism
Another great source of misbehavior in schools is teachers` professionalism. Unfortunately, a lot of graduate pedagogues are not ready to conduct a lesson in a school. It`s necessary for a government to prepare professionals who can maintain order and educate kids without a problem.
10. Medical Problems
A lot of children in Nigeria cannot get access to adequate psychiatric medical help, and most parents do not see the need to take their children to see psychologists. However, it is highly recommended by many health organizations that children be taken to psychiatrists for prophylactic measures; it will help to prevent the possible misbehavior of children in future.
As you can see, most causes of children’s misbehavior in schools can be blamed on the shortcomings of parents and educators, not the children themselves. Therefore, it is necessary to set a good example of discipline and properly address the causes at all levels; without this, the problem will remain!
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Source: Legit.ng
