By Rodgers Omondi, Busia
Busia Woman Representative and ODM Acting Secretary-General Catherine Omanyo has called for the reintroduction of limited punishment in schools as a way of addressing the increasing cases of student unrest and indiscipline.
Speaking during a meeting with ODM youths in Matayos Sub-county, Omanyo said the abolition of corporal punishment has contributed to rising indiscipline, leading to destruction of property and loss of lives in schools.
“We should bring back controlled punishment in our schools to help deal with indiscipline. We spared the rod and spoiled the child. The situation we are witnessing today is partly because discipline measures were scrapped,” she said.
Omanyo also blamed parents for failing to guide and mentor their children, saying many undermine teachers instead of supporting discipline in schools.
“Today, when a teacher disciplines a learner, some parents threaten legal action. As parents, we must spend time with our children, guide them and instill good morals and values,” she said.
She noted that restoring discipline is a collective responsibility involving parents, teachers, religious leaders and the government, rather than the Ministry of Education alone.
“Let us return to the morals and principles that our parents and grandparents instilled in us. We must stop the blame game and work together to address the crisis in our schools,” she added.
Omanyo urged students to seek peaceful ways of resolving personal challenges instead of engaging in destructive acts.
“If you are not ready to sit for an examination, inform your teacher and request permission to leave instead of disrupting the entire school,” she said.
She further proposed strengthening day schools and gradually reducing reliance on boarding schools, arguing that this could help minimize cases of unrest and fatalities experienced in some institutions.
“We need to equip our day schools so that more learners can study from home. We cannot continue taking our children to school only to lose them while they are there,” she said.
