Besides grades, students need good morals

The wave of unrest in schools is worrying. Hardly a day goes by without reports of students destroying school property.

To date, about 60 secondary schools across the country have been closed after students went on the rampage and destroyed property. In one of the worst cases, students of Itierio Boys High School in Kisii County burnt seven dormitories in one night late last month.

It is alleged that the students went on the rampage after they were denied a chance to watch the Euro 2016 football tournament hosted by France. The students also complained of ill treatment by the school’s management.

Several schools remain closed and a number of students suspected of participating in burning dorms have been arrested. But even though this problem is not new to us, we don’t seem able to find a solution despite the resultant losses being so massive.

Martin Luther King Jr once said intelligence plus character is the goal of education and I think this is what we must work to achieve. It is not enough for students to have good grades, they also need the right character to survive in society. Students must be made to understand that there are better ways of resolving problems than violence.

The time has come for all stakeholders, including teachers, parents, education officials and the students themselves to work together to solve this problem. Students must be allowed to voice their concerns freely.

We don’t want to end up with individuals the former US President Theodore Roosevelt once referred to when he said; “To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.” We must take the time to find out the cause of bad behaviour in our children.

Some have said some of the shows children watch on TV, including violent murders, demonstrations, hooliganism, drunkenness, terrorism, corruption, infidelity and incitement by political leaders, have affected them. In other words, moral degradation in our society has contributed profoundly to the problem. It is saddening to see so many graduates lacking in good morals that could help them fit in the global village.