The destruction of student tablets, a poor reflection on parents
By Vakeesha A John
According to an article published by Searchlight, the PM said that he has learnt that “half the tablets provided to students were not working, as adults had taken them over and used them for certain purposes”.
I am sick of it.
The part that irritates me the most is the reality that many of these devices have been destroyed. Whether they were destroyed by the child or the parent, the point is, it is ridiculous that proper value wasn’t placed on these devices, especially in these times. Parents should not take them over and should also ensure that every child treats the tablet with utmost care. You can’t bawl that poverty prevents you from having a device then when you get one, YOU see to it that it only lasts 1 month. Come on. This is now your responsibility to at least safeguard the device.
Man, hit the government with criticisms when you want but y’all better take responsibility when you failed to do your part. Should the government fix or replace these devices? Stewps.
Good day to everyone except parents who helped to destroy these devices or failed to supervise the child’s use of these tablets. YOU CAN AND MUST DO BETTER.
Vakeesha A John is a teacher at the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Arrest the decline in school discipline now!
If a school cannot instill discipline, what is the point?
I am veteran teacher in the secondary school system. I have given over thirty years of service to our nation’s children. Ever so often though, I have to protest loudly against the mess that we allow to persist. I write today about the growing prevalence of indiscipline and the apparent enthronement thereof.
The appalling conduct of of many students manifest itself in several ways. Among these are:
- chronic late coming;
- unexcused absences;
- refusal to bring required material to class;
- absconding from classes;
- engaging in violent behaviour;
- wanton acts of vandalism;
- disrespect for each other and those in authority;
- open defiance;
- lewd and despicable behaviour.
Sometimes the situation is so terrible that one gets the distinct impression that students “run things”. Furthermore, the despicable conduct is often supported by parents and even the wider community.
Efforts to effectively address the problems associated with indiscipline are often met with resistance, particularly from misguided parents. At times, the response from the competent authorities can at best be describe as apathetic. They often appear unwilling to or incapable of confronting these issues head on. Hence, principals and teachers are all but helpless in the midst of this growing culture of indiscipline in our schools. But, if a school cannot instill discipline, what is the point?
To be sure, there are many decent students who show up. They are regular and punctual; they complete all assigned tasks in pursuit of their education; and above all, they conduct themselves in an appropriate manner at all times. However, our frustration comes from those who are bent on doing the exact opposite. Indeed, they are the ones in charge!
Is it any wonder then, that across the nation that academic performance is barely mediocre? Should we be surprised at the unacceptable rates of class repetition; dropouts and the high levels of failure on tests of basic competencies in literacy and numeracy?
Left as it is, the problem of indiscipline in schools tend to translate into scores of youths, mainly males, who offend the legal system on a regular basis. Indeed, there could well be a direct link between the decline in discipline and what appears to be a growing crime wave, particularly among the youths.
This is a simple plea for us to arrest the problem before it gets further out of control. The schools, the authorities, the parents and and the wider community must get together and carefully examine the situation. We should then collaboratively craft strategies that are designed to stem the decline in discipline and decorum among our young people.
SchoolTalk 