The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has raised alarm over the loss of authority and power that teachers and school managers once had in controlling students' behaviour.

His remarks come in response to a viral video showing a student from Adisadel College assaulting a fellow student, which has sparked widespread outrage and discussions on school discipline.

He attributed the intensification of such incidents to the diminishing authority of teachers and school administrators in handling disciplinary matters.

“When it comes to students’ misbehaviour, bullying and all that, I don’t think it is any issue of data. I think we all know it has been with us all these years. It is intense in some schools.

“The reason is that that power and strength that school managers and teachers had a few years ago in controlling students has been taken out of the hands of teachers. So, once you have a situation like this, things go around,” he said.

The NAGRAT president highlighted that in the past, teachers had more control over students' behaviour due to the authority vested in them by the school system.

However, he argued that these powers have gradually been taken away, leading to a decline in disciplinary measures and a lack of consequences for students who misbehave.

“We need to take a decision and get back to the situation where schools take decisions such that when you fall file of school law, and you are being arraigned before the school disciplinary committee and you have violated the rules and regulations of the school, depending by your offence, you are punished by the school,” he continued.

According to Carbonu, the decline in teachers' authority can be attributed to external influences that advocate for alternative approaches to raising children.

He added these advocates have promoted foreign ideologies without considering the differences in cultural environments, leading to a loss of effective disciplinary measures in schools.

“The power has gone to some people who came made us believe that we don’t know how to raise children.
“They brought some paltry dollars to sprinkle around some people and such decisions are taken that all over the years the way we raised children is not the best, it’s the inculcation way of raising children that is the best without taking into consideration the differences in environment,” he added.

NW/OGB
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