Why are students burning schools?
This is a question many are asking. I did a survey during the midterm break and I interacted with several students and got very interesting answers on why there is unrest in schools. This was done in a very friendly way and we had a long discussion.
“We just don't want to be in school in December. It is meant for holidays,” one participant said.
With the change of academic calendar to compensate for lost time following the Covid-19 outbreak, some students are finding it hard to accept that they should be in school in December, which is a festive period.
English author Arnold Bennett says any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. Change is hard to adopt, change is always resisted.
In the schools' case, students were not prepared for this change on time. Initially, there were to be in school for two continuous months with no midterm. We needed to give them an easier way of adopting change, maybe through dialogue on how they would like it done. Open forums between teachers and students should be encouraged so that learners can express their issues freely in an informal environment without feeling intimidated.
Second, the learners cited lack of extracurricular activities.
French sociologist Emile Durkheim says human beings are essentially social beings. Extracurricular activities give students an opportunity to socialise. When they go for inter-school extracurricular activities, they meet new friends, exchange ideas and generally socialise even with the opposite sex, which gives them a natural satisfaction.
During my school days, we could do anything to be on the list of extracurricular events. When you enclose teenagers in one area with all the energies they have, it will definitely be turned into negatives. We should allow them to engage in things they like to ensure the energy is used positively.
The third issue is academic pressure and overload.
With the Covid-19 outbreak, a crash course was introduced to recover as much as possible. Every subject teacher is looking forward to finishing the syllabus before time. Some school programmes start as early as 4am and end at 10pm. This is putting a lot of pressure on students and desperation is creeping in. It looks like a military training only that it is not physical.
Despite the need to finish the syllabus before year-end, schools need to see students as humans and not machines or robots to be fed with information. They need time to digest and rest.
I also established they are a few deviant students who don't want to be in school. Those who only hope that things will happen, and put no effort into it. They are there to pass time and leave when time comes.
This group of students reacts to very small triggers and overreacts to seek attention. A good example is when you deny boys permission to watch an European football match. To some who don't understand why they are in school, it becomes a big deal.
The rotten apple spoils his companions. Such characters need to be picked out and be reformed through guidance and counseling, parental involvement and other means deemed fit.
Peer pressure is another cause for unrest. After a school is torched, a wave of unrest is triggered, with other schools trying to conform.
Drugs and substance abuse also contributed to the unrest. Most students acknowledged that many of their friends got involved in this, especially during the long "Corona holiday". Parents left their children unattended and unaccountable of the time they had at hand.
This messed up many children, making them turn to peer influence and engaging in bad habits. Exposure to social media has also caused a lot of damage.
A lot of misbehavior and laxity in school was noted after the "Corona holiday” and this is blamed on parenting systems at home. As parents, we need to do our part and ensure we bring up disciplined children.
Property worth millions of shillings has gone up in flames during this year’s school unrests just because one school started and others wanted to follow suit. It's recommended that every school starts a guidance and counseling department with at least one qualified counselor as a way to curb the vice.
These are just a few observations drawn from a few students from different schools. It's not a conclusive answer to why we have the unrest in school but points to issues among students that need to be addressed.
To cushion schools and parents from future cost of the damages, all institutions should consider school insurance. Parents have suffered before when it comes to reconstruction of the buildings. We can assist you wherever you are in Kenya
The writer is CEO Ryma Insurance Agency, mother of two teenagers and guardian to several
