





































Education, Language and Sociology Research 

ISSN 2690-3644 (Print) ISSN 2690-3652 (Online) 

Vol. 5, No. 4, 2024 

www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/elsr 

38 
 

Original Paper 

Reflections on the Use of Corporal Punishment to Curb 

Indiscipline of Learners in a School Setting 

Ige Akindele Matthew1 

1 School Services, Ondo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Akure, Ondo State, 

Nigeria 

 

Received: August 5, 2024     Accepted: August 25, 2024     Online Published: September 9, 2024 

doi:10.22158/elsr.v5n4p38          URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/elsr.v5n4p38 

 

Abstract 

Although there are different strategies for tackling the issue of indiscipline of learners, the use of corporal 

punishment has been very popular and contentious. While many people favour its use to curb the 

indiscipline of learners, due to the associated advantages, another school of thought views it to be too 

harsh for learners and thus should be banned. In this paper, the meaning of corporal punishment, its 

forms, causes, and advantages, particularly, the fact that it can deter a learner from indulging in wrong 

behaviour and help him/her learn better, among others, are discussed. The disadvantages inherent in the 

use of the approach, such as the injury it inflicts on learners, among others, are also examined. The paper 

recommends the use of other approaches to curb the indiscipline of learners, while a regulated corporal 

punishment that will not violate the rules and strategies to achieve effective management of the 

indiscipline of learners, is also recommended for the schools’ administrators. 

Keywords 

reflection, use, punishment, corporal punishment, curb, indiscipline, learner, school, setting 

 

1. Introduction  

There is a growing concern about the rampant cases of indiscipline of learners in schools. No doubt, the 

achievement of quality education in a school depends greatly on the discipline shown by the learners. 

Unruly behaviour of learners is a threat to the achievement of quality education. Studies have found that 

learner disciplinary problem is a major concern of the stakeholders in education, including school 

administrators and one of the challenges facing teachers in schools (Yaghambe & Icarbord, 2013), as 

well as an obstacle to the achievement of effective teaching and learning in schools.  

Many researchers have tried to identify the most efficacious methods of enhancing discipline in schools. 

The use of punishment is meant to instill discipline and is usually meted out to any learner who violates 



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the rules and regulations in school, thus bringing a desirable change in behaviour in a learner, as well as 

improving school discipline. The use of corporal punishment has however generated much debate, 

especially its efficacy and consequences on the learner, since time immemorial. The use of this kind of 

punishment in schools has roots in the British Colonial practices that encouraged the widespread caning 

of learners whenever a teacher noticed that they violated any of the school’s rules and regulations or 

performed woefully in tests or examinations. Gradually, the practice has become an accepted method of 

enhancing discipline in schools, to the extent that it now has a high degree of cultural acceptance and 

approval.  

 

2. Discipline and Indiscipline Concepts 

Different authors have attempted to define the word ‘discipline’. Abubakar (2000) sees it as the ability 

and willingness to do what one ought to do without any external control or interference. Ogundele (2014) 

sees it as the respect for school laws and regulations, as well as the maintenance of an established standard 

of behaviour which implies self-control, restraint, and respect for oneself and others. In light of these 

definitions, a disciplined individual can be considered as he/she who knows and takes the right action at 

all times; always guided not by self-interest but by consideration of the interest of others with which 

his/her interest may clash; guided in behaviour by moral and social principles.  

Indiscipline is a household word which takes its root from the word ‘discipline’. In other words, where 

there is no discipline, indiscipline thrives. Anything that goes contrary to any of the aforementioned 

attributes in the way an individual behaves constitutes indiscipline. It is an act of wrongdoing, misconduct, 

negligence of norms, and cultures of a social system, as well as any action considered wrong and not 

accepted as proper in any society. It is a universal concept, common in government offices, private sector, 

politics, and all levels of educational institutions. To make its meaning better understood, Timothy (2008) 

defines it as the unwillingness of learners to respect the constituted authority, observe and obey the school 

rules and regulations, as well as maintain a high standard of behaviours, conducive to the teaching-

learning process and essential to the smooth running of the school, to achieve the desired educational 

objectives with ease.  

 

3. Importance of Discipline of Learners in Schools 

According to Dare, Hashim, Sweinan, and Ofie (2004), cited in Zubaida (2009) discipline in school is 

the respect for school laws, regulations, and maintenance of an established standard of behaviour which 

implies self-control, restraint, respect for oneself, and others. According to Oplatka & Atias (2007), it 

entails self-control, restraint, respect for oneself and others; as well as the extent to which the school 

community views the learner’s behaviour as the appropriate socially accepted behaviour. 

In a school, discipline is essential for effective management of the set goals. The provision of quality 

education and training is the ultimate goal of any school. The success of teaching is reflected in the 

academic performance of the learners. This goal can never be achieved where indiscipline thrives. 



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Effective discipline thus helps in the achievement of the goals, expectations, and responsibilities of 

learners. 

Also, the maintenance of discipline creates a good image for a school and prepares a learner for the future. 

It is key to a learner in his/her journey to adulthood. Zubaida (2009), cited in Magwa and Ngara (2014), 

emphasized that discipline provides conditions that promote learning. For a school to succeed in 

discharging the duty of training learners without any hitch, there should be discipline among the learners. 

A school where indiscipline thrives is bound to be chaotic while the achievement of the set goals will be 

a mirage. The need for school administrators, teachers, parents, and the general public to eliminate 

indiscipline in schools is therefore imperative.  

According to Oosthuizen (2009), maintaining discipline is essential for creating a positive school climate 

that is conducive to good academic performance. This is supported by Sonn (2009) who opined that a 

school without effective discipline of learners will be unmanageable and can result in unmotivated and 

demoralized learners which in turn can lead to poor academic performance of the learners. According to 

Gaustad (2005), maintenance of discipline in schools has three main objectives, the first is to ensure the 

safety of staff and learners, the second is to create a conducive environment for learning and the third is 

to produce productive, disciplined and honest graduates at all levels.  

 

4. Forms of Indiscipline of Learners 

Several forms of indiscipline of learners pervade schools, particularly classroom and within school 

premises, as well as outside school premises. Lewis (1991), cited in Morongwa (2010) identified three 

types of misbehaviour of learners in the classroom, such as misbehaviour that inhibits the learner’s 

learning, misbehaviour by one learner which impedes the learning of another, and misbehaviour which 

is disrespectful, defiant to the educator. These misbehaviours, according to him, can be committed 

intentionally or unintentionally and include: 

• consistent lateness to class and disruption of the flow of the class;  

• talking while a teacher is addressing the class;  

• writing graffiti on school property;  

• not listening and asking questions that have already been answered;  

• defying the teacher refusing to follow instructions; and  

• moving around in class to the point of becoming a distraction.  

Donnelly (2000) listed other behaviours in schools, as fighting, insubordination, little support for learners, 

disrespect, and distrust of administration. According to Alidzulwi (2000), some schools are battlefields 

since learners carry weapons, guns and knives to schools. There are reported cases of learners stabbing 

their educators and principals with pangas (a large heavy knife used as a weapon for cutting vegetation) 

and fighting each other using weapons. Zubaida (2009) also listed the behavioural problems among 

learners as truancy, fighting, shouting, snatching other learners’ property, bullying, cheating, viewing 

pornographic materials, and threatening teachers, among others. Muchemwa (2016) identified alcohol-



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related cases, theft, and forgery while Ngwokabuenui (2015) found disobedience to teachers and prefects 

and unacceptable habits by learners.  

 

5. Factors Influencing Indiscipline of Learners  

Scholars have carried out extensive studies on the issue of indiscipline of learners and identified factors 

that can influence it. For example, Ozigi and Canlan (1979), cited in Oyetubo and Olaiya (2009), 

presented seven causes of the menace, as: 

(a). Idea of democracy with the emphasis on the rights and freedom of the individual; 

(b)  ‘Generation gap’ in ideas, beliefs and values about the nature of man, life and society. There is a 

wide difference of opinion in these matters between the two generations, the young and the old;  

(c)  High-level sophistication of young men and women compared with those of the old generation;  

(d)  Influence of the media (i.e. the newspaper, the radio and television) which carry regular reports 

about learners’ power against authority;  

(e)  Failure of the adults, both in society and at school to set standards of good behaviours for young 

men and women to follow;  

(f)  Failure of homes to provide basic and essential moral training in the upbringing of the children and 

the failure of parents to set good examples; and  

(g)  Failure in communication between young men and women, insisting on their rights and the 

authorities who tend to see the issues involved simply from the “official” point of view.  

Also, Morongwa (2010), linked indiscipline to eight factors, including parental/home influence, 

teachers/educators, political, social, and economic factors; learners with emotional problems, head 

teachers/principals factor, the influence of gender and race; as well as public schools versus private 

schools. Parson (2004) also identified the causes of indiscipline as the school, society, wrong ideals, 

idleness, lack of good leadership, injustice, lack of realistic rules, and bad home training and upbringing. 

Timothy (2008) also identified five causes of indiscipline. All the causes identified by Nwakoby (2001) 

and Timothy (2008) in addition to those previously identified by researchers are however different but 

the same in a way and are summarily presented as follows: home influence/parental factor; school 

authority/heat teachers’ factor; educators/school staff factor; mass media factor; society; student/peer 

group; and curriculum.  

Parson (2004), cited in Ali., Dada, Isiaka., and Salmon (2014), also identified the school, society, wrong 

ideals, idleness, lack of good leadership, injustice, lack of realistic rules, bad home training, and 

upbringing, while Gyan, Korang, McCarthy, and McCarthy (2015) found the factors influencing 

indiscipline of learners to be the students themselves, school factor, parents, and media. 

A study, by Attieno (2014), on the cause of indiscipline in secondary schools in the Makadara District in 

Nairobi Kenya, further found that most indiscipline cases were due to the environment and homes, 

particularly; the use of mobile phones, responsibilities at home, matatu menace and sheng-’speaking. 

Muchemwa (2016) further identified indiscipline cases at Solusi University in Zimbabwe as lack of 



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allocation of food by the university, absence of a beer garden in the vicinity of the university, as well as 

moral values emphasized by the university to the students while another study of the factors that influence 

the behaviour of the secondary school students who are adolescents, by Louis (2017), revealed that the 

school, family, peer pressure, community and news media negatively impacted on the student behaviour. 

 

6. Approaches to the Management of Indiscipline of Learners 

There are different approaches to the management of indiscipline of learners notable among these is the 

controversial corporal punishment which according to Neto (2013) has been operational for a long time, 

at home and outside home. Others include verbal condemnation, temporary/permanent withdrawal of 

post, expulsion, suspension, canning, physical punishment, detention, reprimanding, kneeling, guidance 

and counselling, fining, use of rewards, wearing school uniform at all times, self-commitment in writing 

to maintain good behaviour, pinching, slapping and smacking, picking rubbish within school premises, 

raising of hands up or forward for long period, sweeping of classrooms, cutting of bushes within school 

premises, cleaning of toilet and general cleaning of classrooms and school premises, sending learner out 

of class, cutting grasses, in-school suspension, the reprimanding of a learner in front of the principal, 

parents and other learners (Nicky, 2011; Enose, 2012; Nakpodia, 2010; Tallam, et al., 2015). According 

to Rono (2006), while some methods are effective in managing the challenge in schools, some are 

encouraging it. 

Studies have also identified the efficacy of the different strategies for managing the indiscipline of 

learners in schools. For example, a study of factors contributing to indiscipline in primary schools in 

Nyeri Central Sub-County, Kenya, by Patrick and Njogu (2018), found that 55% of the teachers adopted 

Guidance and Counselling strategy in the enforcement of discipline in schools while 7.1%) adopted 

corporal punishment. Also, Etesi (2012) found that suspension, expulsion, and other punitive strategies 

are not the solution to indiscipline. According to him, the out-of-school suspension is ineffective in 

correcting indiscipline while the removal of the offending learner from the classroom prevents him or 

her from learning and provides no means for preventing or reducing future misbehaviour. 

Another study on the effectiveness of alternative strategies used in the Starehe Division, Nairobi County, 

Kenya, by Agesa (2015), found that the effectiveness of the strategies varies from one school to another 

and depends on the offence committed by each learner. It was further revealed that for minor cases, 

manual punishment was effective, while for major cases, alternative strategies, such as suspension, 

exclusion, guidance and counseling, peer mediation, and teacher-student conferences were effective.  

Also, a study, by Lewis et al. (2005) in China, Israel, and Australia, revealed that one-to-one discussions 

with the learners, identification and recognition of responsible behaviour without demanding 

improvement, are productive strategies that reduce misbehaviour and increase learner responsibility. 

They further confirmed that the aggression of teachers and punishment negatively affect learners’ 

attitudes towards their school work and teachers. 



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In another study, carried out using Australian learners from eight different secondary schools, by Roache 

and Lewis (2011), it was found that a combination of hinting, recognition, rewards, discussion, and 

involvement “encouraged greater levels of communal responsibility. Another study of the effects of 

disciplinary strategies on students’ behaviour in Public Secondary Schools in Matungulu District, 

Machakos County in Kenya, by Edward (2013), found that 60.4% agreed that manual activities helped 

achieve improved student behaviour, 51.4% stressed that denial of privileges does not help improve 

student behaviour, 58.6% were of the view that suspension from school was effective in improving 

student behaviour and a majority of 81.4% supported the view that guidance and counselling help 

improve student behaviour. 

 

7. Corporal Punishment and Reflections on Its Use in Schools 

The word ‘corporal’ is derived from the Latin ‘corpus’, meaning a body, while the concept ‘punishment’ 

derives from the same root (Latin poena), just as the words ‘penalty’ and ‘pain’ (Maurer, 1974, cited in 

Ojo (2018). Corporal punishment is thus defined as the intentional application of physical pain as a 

method of behaviour change (Straus & Mouradian, 1998, cited in Ojo, 2018). It is the physical 

chastisement of a learner who violates any of a school’s rules and regulations, the purpose of which is to 

guide the learner from indulging in negative attitudes, effecting a reformation or performing an action in 

the interest of order, rule, or control by the authority. It uses a variety of methods, such as hitting, slapping, 

spanking, punching, kicking, pinching, shaking, shoving, choking, and the use of various objects (i.e., 

wooden paddles, belts, sticks, pins, or others), painful body postures (such as placing in a closed space), 

use of electric shock, use of excessive exercise drills, or prevention of urine or stool elimination (Gershoff, 

& Bitensky, 2007).  

The use of corporal punishment is a widespread and popular approach to tackling indiscipline of learners 

in schools. There are however advantages and disadvantages inherent in its use which have culminated 

in two schools of thought, regarding its acceptability. While a school of thought favours its use in schools 

because of the associated advantages, another school of thought abhors it, based on the dangers posed by 

its use in schools. 

As of today, different forms of indiscipline pervade schools (Ojo, 2018; Busienei, 2012). A lot of learners 

now indulge in indiscipline attitudes with impunity thus believing that no serious punishment can be 

meted out to them by the school management and the teachers, and as such will not hesitate to repeat 

such behaviour in the future. It is believed that this kind of punishment could deter learners from wrong 

behaviours and help them learn better in schools. There is a common saying that ‘Spare the rod, spoil the 

child’, When a child is not corrected while indulging in bad behaviours, he/she may grow in these and 

become spoilt completely. It is thus not surprising that some apprehended armed robbers at the point of 

execution while asking them to give their last remark will confess that they started robbery and other 

vices in schools while some will go further to attribute these to the negligence of their parents at the 

tender ages. The use of corporal punishment is therefore viewed as an effective way to correct learners’ 



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misbehaviours and make them study harder. It is capable of creating fear in a learner. If this is therefore 

jettisoned, there is a tendency for learners to continue to indulge in such negative attitudes which will 

make them lose focus and not achieve their goals in schools. Corporal Punishment is thus effective 

because it makes a learner think twice before committing an offence and the use of it can be a deterrent 

to other learners who might violate a rule in the absence of such punishment. If learners who commit 

offences are not punished, they think that it is right to do things in a way they like without abiding by the 

set rules and regulations. Corroborating this is a study, by Maphosa and Shumba (2010), which found 

that alternatives to corporal punishment were ineffective as a disciplinary measure in schools hence it is 

being used as a quick-fix solution which raises fear and pain.  

All over the world, school officials are expected to act in loco parents, that is, regulate the learners in any 

manner subject only to the standards and restraints that the parents would use in supervising the welfare 

of their children (Nakpodia, 2011). Over the years, the use of corporal punishment on recalcitrant children 

has become an accepted method of promoting good behaviour and instilling the notion of responsibility 

and decorum into the heads of mischievous students (Nakpodia, 2011). It is presumed that any parent 

who sends a child to school gives this authority to correct them to the teachers and school administrators.  

The use of corporal punishment also enables a learner to fear his/her teacher. It needs not be 

overemphasized that a lot of teachers found themselves teaching in a very large class, due to inadequate 

classrooms or high enrolment in schools. It will be very difficult for teachers to be able to manage large 

classes effectively if corporal punishment is not adopted. Some people believe that as a general rule, 

school principals to a limited extent at least, stand in-loco parents to pupils under their care and may 

exercise such powers of control, restraint, and corrections over them as may be reasonably necessary, he 

is subject to such limitations and prohibitions as may be defined by law.  

As much as there are arguments in support of the adoption of corporal punishment in schools, there are 

also reasons against its use on learners. Many teachers believe that flogging learners has no place in 

today’s education. To them, the advancement of technology has made it imperative for teachers to 

develop better ways of correcting learners when they misbehave, rather than resorting to corporal 

punishment. To them, teachers and learners are supposed to relate mutually within and outside school 

environment. Such an atmosphere will encourage them to learn in a peaceful atmosphere and mutual 

understanding.  

It has also been noticed that some teachers are too harsh while little provocation can make them descend 

heavily on the learners, beat them with any kind of stick available, and in the process, inflict injuries on 

their bodies, the scars of which may have to live with them forever. There have been cases of cane getting 

to the dangerous parts of the body of learners, such as the eye, ear, and private parts while flogging them. 

Some learners have become permanently blind and disabled, as a result of excessive flogging by their 

teachers or school administrators. A report indicates that in year 2012, a Secondary School Teacher in 

Awka, Nigeria flogged a female student to death because the girl refused to do her assignment, while in 

Osun State, Nigeria, it has been reported that a pupil was beaten to death by his teacher due to truancy. 



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Also, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, another report indicates that a 13-year-old student was flogged by his 

principal till he slumped and died (Olupohunda, 2013). These are colossal losses to their parents who 

invested heavily in their education while relying on them for their future contributions to the growth and 

development of the families and the country.  

Some parents, in particular, the wealthy ones are always uncooperative with the teachers and school 

administrators when the issue of discipline comes up. In the past, cases of flogging have led to litigation 

where they have to drag teachers’ and schools’ authority to court. Apart from the money that will be spent 

by such teachers/schools, the distraction it will cause to the academic progress of schools, as well as the 

negative image it will cause the school, need not be underestimated. 

It has also been noticed that with the use of corporal punishments in schools, unwanted behaviours are 

on the increase (Ehiane, 2014). It is also instructive to note that international concern for the danger that 

the administration of corporal punishment poses to the rights and well-being of learners has long been 

established. In 2001, the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children (GITEACPOC) 

across the world was launched. The campaign aimed at ensuring that the recommended actions of the 

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and other human rights bodies are accepted and that 

governments move speedily to implement legal reform and public education programmes. The campaign 

is about preventing all forms of violence against children in schools across the world, including corporal 

punishment, sexual abuse, bullying, peer-to-peer violence, use of weapons and harassment in school and 

on the journey to and from school. Also, a school of thought believes that the administration of corporal 

punishment on learners breaches their fundamental human rights to respect human dignity and physical 

integrity.  

Exposure of children to severe corporal punishment has also been associated with anti-social and violent 

behaviours (Ohene, Ireland, McNeely, & Borowsky, 2006); suicidal behaviour (Straus & Kantor, 1994), 

and other psychiatric disorders, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-PTSD (Medina, Mejia, Schell, 

Dawson, & Margolin, 2001) and substance abuse (Lau, Kim, Tsui, Cheung, Lau, & Yu, 2005). Also, this 

kind of punishment has been linked to the intergenerational transmission of intimate partner and family 

violence (Deater-Deckard, Lansford, Dodge, Pettit, & Bates, 2003), and the risk of being a victim of 

physical abuse and risk of abusing one’s child or spouse (United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, 

2007). 

Apart from the aforementioned issues, studies have also shown a lot of negative effects of unregulated 

corporal punishment on learners, such as emotional distress, learners’ inability to concentrate, and 

reduced participation in class (Dunne et al., 2013); absenteeism and dropout, especially among girls and 

nomadic pastoralists (Usman, 2006); depopulation in schools and negative image of schools in the public 

space; poor teacher-pupil and parent-teacher relations (Usman, 2006; Dunne et al., 2013); parental 

conflict, including withdrawal of learner from school (Usman, 2006; Dunne et al., 2013); and permanent 

physical damage to learners in extreme cases (Oluwakemi & Kayode, 2007). Also, if it is inequitable, it 



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can promote boys-versus-girls antagonism, which can militate against gender equality in schools (Chege 

et al., 2008). 

Also, when punishment is too harsh, it will not help the learners but instead creates room for worse 

situations in schools. It will make learners work under great fear which will make the learning atmosphere 

difficult and almost impossible which is dangerous being capable of crippling the learners academically. 

As of today, the issue of out-of-school children has become a nightmare and a cause of concern in society. 

While efforts are being made to drive school-age children to school, to increase the literacy level in 

society, a lot of children are also dropping out of school (Shaikhnag, Assan, & Loate, 2015). The 

implication of allowing corporal punishment in schools is the tendency for dropouts to rise in school 

because many of the children being subjected to this kind of punishment can eventually drop out of 

school and into society, thereby causing a major setback for the development of literacy across the 

countries and the world at large.  

Also, the adoption of corporal punishment can influence learners to increase their aggressive behaviour. 

When learners face physical threats, they will eventually fight back. Corporal punishment at school can 

also increase aggressiveness in the home and other social settings. It can encourage children to have low 

self-esteem. The effects of physical punishment on the bodies of children last long after the offence has 

been committed. The possible effects of corporal punishment on the psychological state of the students 

can last even longer. If children are in constant physical pain and associate that with them having poor 

behaviour, they will constantly feel bad about themselves. 

 

8. Conclusion and Recommendations 

Considering the arguments for and against the use of corporal punishment in this paper, it can be 

concluded that the arguments against its adoption far outweigh those in its favour. While it cannot be 

disputed that some teachers and school administrators still believe so much in its efficacy, 

recommendations in favour of alternative punishment strategies and to achieve improved management 

of discipline in schools are made. As regards those who still wish to indulge in its use, there is a need for 

regulated corporal punishment to be adopted by them in their schools. Heads of schools should explore 

other alternative methods of punishment for learners who misbehave in their domain. The following 

recommendations could help tackle it: 

-School rules and regulations should be emphasised and given awareness to enable learners to understand 

them and should also be in their classes and on the school notice board where they will be seen by learners.  

-Well-behaved ]earners should be rewarded at the end of each session in a school, to encourage them to 

continue in their good behaviours and encourage other learners to imbibe the spirit of good behavioural 

practices. 

-Schools should create a conducive environment and engage their learners to prevent them from 

indulging in acts of indiscipline, as it is being said that the devil finds work for an idle hand’, while ‘an 

idle mind is the Devil’s workshop’. School administrators should organize activities such as football 



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matches and occasional trips for learners, which will help learners use their time wisely for the betterment 

of their academic endeavours and physical growth.  

-Teachers should involve learners productively, provide enriching activities for those who have 

completed their work, give challenging tasks to them, provide a task that requires learners’ participation, 

exploration, and experimentation, give multi-dimensional tasks, integrate learners’ interests and 

experiences into lessons and discussions, ask learners to express opinions, connect new or abstract 

concepts to familiar or concrete ones, allow students to collaborate academically, provide substantive 

feedback rather than grades or scores, and avoid going to school and their classes late  

-Schools should ensure that Guidance and Counseling Services are provided for the learners. The 

Counselors should be alive to their responsibilities and ensure regular counselling of the learners, to 

prevent them from indulging in in-disciplinary attitudes. The government should also recruit specialised 

counsellors and post them to schools that are lacking.  

-The government should regularly organize seminars, conferences, workshops, and symposiums where 

experts can be invited to train or educate teachers and school administrators on modern issues and ways 

to manage indiscipline in schools, more so that some teachers and administrators might not have been 

trained on alternative methods of discipline in institutions they attended, thus being rendered helpless 

when it comes to behaviour management of learners in the present dispensation.  

-School heads should ensure that untrained teachers who join their schools are trained through workshops 

or seminars on rules governing school discipline.  

-Prevention as the saying goes, is better than cure. There is a need for government to institute an interview 

process in the admission of candidates into schools, to ensure that only learners who are of good 

behaviour are admitted into schools. 

-School administrators should ensure that the Disciplinary Committee is functional in school and where 

it is not functional, should be reconstituted. Disciplinary cases should always be referred to the committee 

and the report and recommendations executed. 

-Parents should serve as role models to the learners and live up to their functional roles. This would 

enable the learners to imbibe discipline right from home and the society at large, work with the school 

authority to enforce discipline, through a forum like the PTA, and give their children the necessary home 

training.  

-The government should provide a conducive-learning environment, and ensure that Counselors engage 

in a publicity campaign to create greater awareness of the adverse effects of indiscipline and an 

unequivocal official pronouncement on the desirability to bring it under control. 

 

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