Let teachers be stricter about discipline in schools

I refer to the report “Set on meeting friend, teenage girl dies after jump from apartment window” (Aug 18, online) and offer my condolences to Carmen’s family and guardian.

She had behavioural issues, even after counselling, and the incident brings to light the problems of enforcing discipline on school-going children.

In schools today, principals, vice-principals and discipline masters or mistresses have the full power to punish students, but teachers’ hands are tied when it comes to this area.

If a teacher disciplines a student, and the powers that be construe it as a wrong move, he faces the possible humiliation of being made to apologise to the student and the latter’s parents in the school office.

Take, for instance, the relief teacher who tried to reprimand a girl in February for using an expletive towards her.

In the YouTube video of this incident, the student is seen arguing with the teacher, who shouts back the expletive twice. Both were counselled, but the teacher got the more severe punishment: The secondary school no longer hired her.

I doubt if the student genuinely learnt anything much. She probably learnt that she could attempt to get her teachers dismissed if they taught her right from wrong inappropriately.

Internet, phone or gadget addiction, taking upskirt videos, uttering vulgarities towards teachers, making rude hand signs, using various methods to make threats, disregard for authority, theft and dishonesty are occurring in some schools.

Must teachers tolerate these if they want to continue in the profession?

It is an unwritten rule that teachers must not lose their temper and use harsh words when faced with a student’s disciplinary problem, as such acts are said to harm the student’s self-esteem.

Alas, that pales in comparison with what naughty students are capable of nowadays.