Teachers try to manage students’ behaviour

TEACHERS and parents are responsible for the behaviour of students, says an official.
National Capital District school inspector (basic education) Elizabeth Kosi said teachers were trying their best to enforce student behaviour management rules and regulations within schools. But they could not do much about what happened outside school.
“Schools have been tasked to follow the main student behaviour management booklet given by the department to formulate their own little rules in their schools. They have been doing that,” Kosi said.
“Students behave in a certain expected standard but when they leave the school premises and go outside with their peers, it is another story.”
The Education Department had in 2003 directed schools to implement the behaviour management policy. The policy booklet distributed outline the roles and expectations of teachers and parents.
Kilakila Secondary School principal Herman Panai said the policy was helping teachers and schools in managing student behaviour.
“But in some way it is a challenge because students (today) don’t seem to fear breaking rules,” he said.
“We are teachers, not policy men or women or counsellors. Often we concentrate on teaching and marking students’ work.”
Panai suggested that schools should have counsellors for students.
“An officer has to deal with students’ behaviour on a daily basis. For an effective behaviour management policy to be formulated, it would take an integral approach and we are embarking on that.”