Methods to curb indiscipline practices in schools

Methods to curb indiscipline practices in schools

AZEEZ, Pooma Educational Trust.

Thank you SC Vohra sir, Anis sir, Anil kurup sir, Faiz mmji, Ishrath mmji, Bhuvana mmi, Vineeth sir,  Archna mmji, Azra mmji, Pawan Gupta sir, Lava sir, Biju sir, Geetha mmji, Preeti Pandey mmji, Piyush TRIPATHI, Jagmander mmji, Abhishek sir, Neeraj Gupta sir, priti mm,  S I khan sir, Ravinder Kaur mmji, Durga Nair mmji, Suryavathi mmji, Phani mmji, Sekar Seenivasan sir,  Zeeba Taslim mmji, Mili mmji, SWETA SRIVASTAVA mmji, Supriya mmji, Vinit sir, Shrinish Agnikothri sir, Abhishek sir.....and all our group members for made this discussion a very informative one.

The purpose of this discussion/ research is to examine the familiar or common forms, the causes and probable ways to curb indiscipline in schools. The results of our discussion showed that the familiar and common types of indiscipline as disobedience to teachers and school prefects included collective misconduct of students and unacceptable habits. Students’ indiscipline behaviours can be  classified on three bases: 1. students-based, 2.society-based and 3. school- based causes.

In developing nations, indiscipline  among students  studying in secondary schools have  been a major and continuous problem. Because secondary school children are in the period of transition. During this adolescent period, they do not know about what they do. We are responsible for their irresponsible acts. Here we MEANS....all - Our Government of states and central,  Educationists, Educatos, policy makers, school administrators and parents....we are responsible for their behaviours in the school. In this period even they are unaware  importance of their existence to their parents as children, teachers as students and above all an asset to the country and as a future leaders to lead the country. If we do start punishing them for their act of indisciplines, 80%of secondary school children should be kept behind the bar. Then who will be the future Educationists and leaders for our next generation.

Indiscipline problem comes only in secondary and senior secondary school levels. Let us work on it to curb. It's unlike an  issue as eradicating polio or poverty. It is the problem everyone of us came through. Everyone of us underwent. This problem is the byproduct of adolescence. Whoever attains this age are causes for the indiscipline practices. If we need no such act of indisciplines at the school level, we need to admit school children at the age above adolescents, above the age 20 in schools. Is this possible as we say that the learning process takes place in children below the age of adolescence. We have to face such sure problems every year as our generation is crossing the state of adolescence. Or We can plead God otherwise to erase  the period of adolescence in human life cycle. Is it possible?. Rather we should prepare as educators to tolerate and save their life  from their lifestyles as we are saved by someone. We are now as we are because of our teachers who tolerated us as Indisciplined students. Rather we start enjoying the differences in them than showing differences. Still we can have solutions to it. Indiscipline is the root cause which is prevalent in our schools these days and this can only be checked only if we make distance with our taught and treat them as a third person  We must check our students in a proper way so that they feel that their scope of life is not deserted. Each child today need a space ... To live in .....and if it is deserted ...he/she challenges it with a tempo. Just as poison kills poison, indiscipline among students need to be curbed with the help of students only. At various levels - junior , middle and senior , discipline committees comprising of good , honest and effective students with one or two  sincere dedicated and competent teacher incharges be made who monitor the activities of students in canteens , playgrounds corridors and all such places furtively. One or two effective PTIs can be given the duty of keeping a strict vigil during school time. Frequent meetings of such committees be conducted to apprise the situation. Collective meetings with senior students at least twice a month be conducted tolisten to their grievances and take their opinions on prevailing situation can also be helpful. In case of exceptionally indisciplined students their parents must be taken into confidence directly. Appointment of quality teachers with strong ethics also proves helpful. The head should never turn a blind eye on any activity of indiscipline howsoever small. Immediate and effective action must be taken without losing any time. Classrooms should be closely monitored through CCTVs and immediate assistance provided to teachers facing difficulty in class management. Erring students be called to the principal’s office and shown video recordings. Corporal punishment and public chastisement must be avoided. Services of counsellos be taken from time to time. Doors of dialogue be kept open in any situation. Morning assembly addresses by the head and eminent personalities on values also go a long way in curbing indiscipline. Above all the head and the staff should collectively deal with any problem as a team. No blame game and fault finding be done. The percentage of students who drop out of school in most urban and rural areas of our country, is on an increase. These students cultivate and demonstrate deviant behaviours and may never fulfill their potentials. They become burdens to the society.  There is an outcry of Indian educators, administrators and parents in 90 s about the increasing rate of indiscipline in  secondary schools. This observation unsettles the mind of patriotic educators since children are considered the future leaders of the country. 

As a result, any attempt to curb students’ indiscipline in school would be highly welcomed by the government, educators, parents, teachers and school administrators. The cause of indiscipline in our society is due to dropouts which we can't forget it. An educator who is responsible for creating a school without indisciplined has a responsibility to ensure a good society also. The public presumes that schools are the preferred environment to transform productive and useful citizens of any nations. 

One can say that discipline comes through effective management of an organisation. Indiscipline on the other hand is any act that diverges from the acceptable societal norms and values. It is a violation of school rules and regulations which is capable of obstructing the smooth and orderly functioning of the school system.  It is important to note that an Indisciplined child is an uncontrollable child and can do any damage to the society than a school.

Studies portray that different types of indiscipline behaviour among which include the following acts:  boycotting of lessons, watching and practicing pornography, lies telling, violence, dishonesty, disobedient to teachers, prefects, and school administration, rapping school/class mates, alcohol consumption, confronting and stabbing teachers in schools, vandalism, lateness to school, cultism, drug abuse, insulting/assaulting, stealing, rioting; among others. The extent to which students’ indiscipline behaviours in school are correlated with are not known whether these influenced emanate from the perspectives of their peer group, their parents’ socioeconomic achievements, parent’s attitude, teacher’ attitude, school culture, climate and environment; and the magnitude of disorder it triggers in school and what strategies should be put in place to curb this deviant behaviour. Recently students selecting their porn stars whereas we are as students used to select cinestars, itself was an indiscipline. Now what can we say about it. In co educational institutions,. relationships between girls n boys too are reaching to a new level...Attractions at adolescence is understandable but due to uncontrollable usage of internet, today's children are exposed to everything which is not meant for their age. Adverse effect of Bollywood movies on the tender minds of these children too can't be ignored. Coeducational system in Education exist for breaking the gender biases among the students. Relationship goes beyond between them is of social problem.

The major causes for a school may be from my point of view as,
1. Harsh school rules and regulations.
2. Unconducive school environment.
3. Poor leadership of some school administrators.
4. Lack of extra-curricular activities.
5. Poor teaching by some teachers.
6 Teachers lateness and absenteeism.
7 Overcrowded classroom.

Where are the society based factors that cause indiscipline in our schools?
1 Poor value system in family.
2 Injustice in the society revealed by favouritism and corruption
3 Unwholesome mass media.
4 Unsatisfactory home condition in some homes.
5 Parental over protection of children.
6 Parental rejection of children.
First of all...all the rules must be framed for which there will be regular follow up by the volunteers and teachers of the school. Yes ,being volunteer will control themselves from going on wrong track.

Some areas we need to pay in attention is as follows:
1 Moral leadership and education.
2 School authorities to be of good models.
3 Provision of adequate facilities for teaching, games and sports.
4 Involvement of students in making rules and regulations.
5 Reduction of class size.
6 Value re-orientation.
7 Effective Parents Teachers Association (PTA).
8 Emphasis on extracurricular activities.
9 Positive teacher/students relationship.
10 Provision of ICTs and internet in schools.
11 High parental and school supervision and counseling.
12 Enforceable rules & regulation.

We need changes in our school system.
Schools are
The provision of moral leadership and moral education in the schools, value re- orientation in the society, provision of adequate facilities for teaching, games and sports, reduction of class size, establishment of functional and effective parents-teachers association in schools, emphasis on extracurricular activities, positive teacher-student relationship, provision of information communication technologies and internet facilities, high parental and school supervision, counselling and through enforceable school rules and regulations and involvement of students in decision making as well as in formulating school rules and regulations. If Yoga and Meditation is made compulsory for students and teachers, health and cleansing the inner self will be  taken care of. Mind is the index all our behavior. If that is controlled and chanalised, many of our issues are solved.

Conclusion:
The result of the discussion  revealed that the common types of indiscipline in our schools as cases of insubordination to school authority such as assault and insult on teachers and non-teachers and assault on school prefects. The most common cases of indiscipline relating to the collective misbehaviour of students such as the vandalization of school properties and mass protest, while the common cases of indiscipline relating to poor habits of students are speaking of unparliamentary languages, chewing gum in class, fighting, wearing dirty and wrong clothing hair cutting contrary to the official school rules and examination malpractice.

In addition to this,
1.  As regards the students based causes of indiscipline, the result of the discussion showed that constant negative labels on students, abuse of seniority by school prefects, students poor study habits and students restlessness and inattention in class were the major factors. The excess energy accumulated by children kept passive and inactive for long tends to make them inattentive in class and restless. In addition, students may become restless and inattentive when lessons are boring due to acute shortage of instructional facilities and problems of curriculum. The use of constant negative labels on students by the teachers can make them to begin to build low self-concept by developing a negative frame of mind. Such student may begin to see himself as one who cannot perform well whenever the teacher is in the class, become deliberately rude to the teacher and may be withdrawn from activities. A school and it's components such as teachers, administrators and non teaching staffs are held responsible for the students based and school Based indisciplines. But we are narrow in accepting this and thinking beyond and including social based causes for indisciplines in the school circuit. Social and family based causes are of their parents and family backgrounds and culture of the child from which the child is a byproduct and political background.....In addition to that school based causes of indiscipline revealed by this discussion are teachers’ lateness and absenteeism in class, overcrowded classrooms, unconducive school environment, unenforceable school rules and regulations, poor teaching and poor leadership by school administrators. It is reported that unconducive school environment characterized by an acute shortage of facilities for teaching, games and sports, unrealistic school rules were the causes of indiscipline. Rules and regulations are meant to guide and control activities in school but when they become too much and unenforceable, they tend to breed indiscipline.

Unless and untill the education system which encourages teaching methods which inculcate practical or Playway techniques  by which intrests of students in studies are maintained , we can not make students deciplined . Students comes from different backgrounds and have different limitations. We being teaching fraternity of experts should be in position to convert bad into good. It is not very easy and is time consuming too but it is not a rocket science too. If we follow the   suggestions given by moderator things can be brought under control. Behavioural assessment of both students and teachers is must for any educational system but who cares. It's high time,the students and the teachers should be groomed regularly to achieve their individual goals respectively. The society based causes of indiscipline as parental overprotection of children, poor value system, and injustice in the society indicated by the practice of favouritism, and corruption, unwholesome mass media and unsatisfactory home condition. The poor value system in society which no longer honour the hard work and meritorious services are responsible for the breakdown of law and order in schools. Unsatisfactory home condition breeds in children, a feeling of insecurity and frustration and thus contributing to the formation of deviant behaviour which they manifest at school. Some parents are too busy to keep their eyes on their children. Their children go out at will and return home any time they like. They do not even bother about the type of friends their children keep. Their children become morally loose. In school, such children have no respect for school rules and regulations and even they exhibit absolute disrespect for school authority. The  possible solutions to curb indiscipline in schools are providing  provision of moral leadership and moral training, value re-orientation, provision of adequate facilities for teaching games and sports, establishment of effective and functional Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), reduction in class size, schools emphasizing extra￾curricular activities, involving students in making rules policies that affect them, positive teacher-students relationships, provision of ICTs and internet connectivity, high parental and school supervision and counselling and enforceable school rules and regulations. Teachers must appreciate, understand and accept today’s students. As a result, the social distance between the students and teachers should be reduced. In addition, with the provision of ICTs and internet connectivity in schools, students will spend most of their extra time searching for information and expanding knowledge rather than loitering about during such free periods.
Some recommendations:
It is imperative to ensure that the good behaviour and conditions are inculcated, established and maintained for effective learning in schools.

Consequently this group study proffers the following recommendations:
• The government policy makers, education reformers and school administrators should ensure that schools are provided with adequate facilities for teaching and learning, sports and games as well as information communication technologies and internet connectivity.
• Concerted efforts of stakeholders such as parents, teachers' non-governmental organizations, educational authorities, corporate bodies, past students and government should be made to find a lasting solution to the social menace.
• School administrators, parents and teachers must show good examples to students since they imitate and copy their behaviour.
• School administrators, teachers and parents should reduce indiscipline through increased supervision. Support staff can be used to assist teachers in classroom supervision especially in large classrooms.
• In cases of serious misconducts, parents of children should be invited to the school by the administrators.
• Teachers should correct students’ mistakes with love rather than label them negatively.
• School curriculum should emphasize moral education for good character training.
• School administrators and teachers should provide moral leadership in schools.
• There should be re-orientation of the wider Cameroonian society. If the society is disciplined, the micro society will be disciplined.
• Parents, the school and religious bodies that are charged with moral training of children should ensure that sound moral education is given to children.

And some recommendations are:

1.Children should read  biography of at least one great person each month to inculcate  good value system in his habits.2.Teachers will have to stop taking tuition.
3.Principal and teachers should reach in time to school or in periods.
4.There should be a strong connection between parents and teachers.
5.An ownness is required in all members of discipline committee towards school .
6.Neglegence of staff members is the cause of no. of indisciplinary activities.
7.Each and every duty can't be given in written form.
8.Staff sustainability is must.
9.Training program for management people must be made compulsory , without L.O.C. should not be taken.
10.Atleast S.O.P. s must be checked by Board  online of each school.
11.Parents want their children to read in big school,but reminder for fees hurts them
,then they criticize school authorities in front of child,who also learns in later period to abuse the system.
12.Orientation pgms for parents must be made compulsory.
13.If parents can't come in PTM s, school should approach them.
14.Such management who can't give good salaries to teachers , should be shut down.At least the person won't be exploited.
Rather he would earn more somewhere else.In the name of public welfare ,some management people make huge amount and pay less to teachers.
15.Forums should hear on a faster pace about employee s problem.Some management s treat badly when employee leaves them.Frustration in employees causes indisciplin to spread.
16.District administration should initiate anti narcotics agitation amongst students in place of buttering to local politicians.
17.Everything is curable , provided will should be there.Where there is will ,there is the way.
18.School authorities would have to come with openness to expose indisciplin done by a child, instead of hiding it.
19.Students should be given motivational lectures to create high aspirations in their thoughts.
20.All problematic students should be dealt with calm and peaceful mind.

Our school is a micro society from where miraculous changes in our main society cannot be expected. We Educators are very sure that school based indiscipline problem never enters into society. It reflects nowhere in the society or family. Therefore it is nothing wrong from our side  expecting social causes of  indiscipline practices and family causes of indiscipline  enter into our school system. We educators should get panic or problem of facing school's unrelated causes of indiscipline practices in schools. We should not mixup and endsup in mess.  School causes of indiscipline practices are different and social causes of indiscipline practices are different and family causes of indiscipline practices are different. Coeducational system in Education exist for breaking the gender biases among the students. Relationship goes beyond between them is of social problem. Of course it reflects in schools and in the process of children's education. Here we can hear and console the child but we can give any kind of solutions to the problems. It's not possible also. When we handle the problems out of our bound, social and family causes of indiscipline practices become school causes of indiscipline practices. Would you like to have additional dimensions of indiscipline practices in schools?

AT LAST BUT NOT LEAST I WOULD LIKE TO ASK MYSELF SOME QUESTIONS?
1. Am I a real educator? Are my fraternity is true to discipline practices?
2. Still I am behind fake promotions and accepting awards and rewards which is of untrue in nature, for which I am not deserved?
3. Still I am behind and getting awards and rewards by paying bills. Am I not indisciplined in my act of practices?
4. Still I am contesting in Mrs India contest being a Principlal and showing off and projecting myself as a beauty queen. Is not indiscipline practice?
5.Still I am considering my colleagues as my weekend dating partners to go to puffs. Is not indiscipline practice?
6. Still I am getting from my students gifts and valuable things for free of cost. Is not indiscipline?
7. Still I am creating castism, regional bias and religious misbeliefs in my students mind, everything I make it to hide my inefficiency.Is not indiscipline practice?
8. Still I am wearing jeans, T shirts and playing a role of youths and adults and passing comments. Is not my indiscipline practice?
9. Still I smoke in public, in schools, and go to adult movies in theatres.Is not my indiscipline practice?

We don't have any rights on our students to be well disciplined. They are far and far better than us. Because their deeds unknown to them. From where they do learn such indisciplined practices?. They learn from us as they learn English, Physics, chemistry......from us.

Tears are sporting on my cheeks as I felt my indisciplined practices knowingly or unknowingly spoiled my generation under my care. We are answerable to all our malpractices to God one day. Moral justice says, if an innocent is hanged for his malpractices only once means, an educator should be hanged for 10 times for his/her malpractices because he/she is well educated. No good souls are now a days to wash our sins with their blood.

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