THE EFFECT OF INDISCIPLINE ON THE HEALTH STATUS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NIGERIA

(A CASE STUDY OF EKITI STATE)

1.1  Background to the Study

Students’ discipline is very important for the success of any institution. Bafoua (1983) as cited by Joseph (2003) describes how discipline was an important element in the education of the ancient Greece. According to Bafoua;

The whole life of an individual, all his activity, even his family and conjugal relations were submitted to the state and carefully regulated by it. Everything aims at the selection of the race, at the hardening of the individual, at the preparation of the steady, sober, crafty soldiers, ready for all hardships and scarifies, animated by absolute discipline. Men and women remained submitted to the old who were the authorities of the city.

He explains that, discipline was of paramount importance in the Greek society and it is that discipline that made Sparta strong, respectful and glorious city in the world. He further pointed out the fact that, in our present society, discipline is needed and without it we cannot achieve many successes, progress or even prosper. According to him, that is why there are established laws in each country and even in our schools with rules and regulations yet indiscipline cases are high.

Students’ indiscipline is global phenomenon. It permeates all educational set- ups. Statistics of student indiscipline is abound across all educational institutions globally. For instance, in the United States as reported by Larson (2008), the National Center for Educational Statistics reveals that in 2006, thirty six (36) percent of students in grade 9-12 reported that they had been in a physical fight within the last year. The reports add that, four percent (4%) of inner city teachers and three percent (3%) of

suburban and rural school teachers were physically assaulted by students. According to Kuntz (2000), day after day primary and secondary school teachers both private and state school are confronted with examples of bad behaviors- destruction of school equipment and furniture, pupils lack of respect for each other or for adults which impede normal school routine.

In Nigeria, Danso (2010), lamented over the high rate of indiscipline and lawlessness in educational institutions. He observed that not a day passes without a report of an act of indiscipline perpetrated by teenager of primary and secondary schools. He lamented over the causes of drug abuse, rape, armed robbery, and even murder in the educational institutions. According to him, meaningful teaching and learning geared towards the attainment of school goals is unattainable if teachers and students are not discipline (www.myjoyonline.com).

The phenomenon of indiscipline in Nigeria has been a cause of concern to the Nigeria Education Service, Ministry of Education and other stakeholders in the education sector for decades. According to him, student indiscipline and unrest in schools have reached a level that is not only disturbing but threatening the existence of society. He cited an instance were some students from two secondary schools in the region were arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in armed robbery (www.vibeghana.com, February 10, 2014).

The case is not different in the Northern region, according to Edmond reporting for the chronicle, students of three Senior High Schools: Nalerigu, T.I Hamadiaya and Karaga went rampage destroying properties worth thousands of Nigeria cedis. As a

result, students in the three schools numbering closely to 3,000 were dismissed by the regional Education Service (GES). According to him, these students can only be readmitted if only they have re-applied, signed a bond to be of good behavior and also paid for properties destroyed. Similarly, a worse story broke from the Northern school of Business Senior High (NOBISCO) in Tamale where 979 students had been expelled for various acts of indiscipline which includes the scaling of school wall, possessing unauthorized materials such as mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, muftis. The head master of the school Mr. Wilberforce Sheibu Adams said these acts havesparked several act of looting and insubordination in the school (www.onepapaforensics.com)

The Northern Regional Director of the Education Service Alhaji Mohammed Haroon Cambodia has attributed the gross indiscipline, disrespect for authorities and frequent bad conduct among students in the region to the use of drugs such as Indian hemp, alcohol and cigarette (the chronicle). He blames the increasing level of indiscipline in the region on improper parental training stressing on the fact that charity begins at home. (www. citifmonline.com)

Despite the efforts by stakeholders to curb the situation, recent trends depict rising rate of incidence of violence and deviate behavior among a section of students in public school, thereby creating a feeling of insecurity among teachers and students alike. The declining rate of discipline in many schools has contributed to the erosion of high academic attainments, demoralized teaching staff and has brought sorrow and disappointment to many parents(Frimpong 2003).

Indiscipline in schools has been experienced for time in memorial, but the magnitude in which it is manifesting itself in today’s schools is alarming creating great concern among education administrators, teachers and stakeholders. It is important to note that, indiscipline affect the learner than anybody else. This situation has been a major concern to parents and those in the school community who suggest that disciplinary strategies be applied by teachers and the rapport be created between students and teachers as a systematic way to solving the problem. The examinations of the factors that contribute to students’ indiscipline and how it affects their academic performance can enable stakeholders achieve the best educational outcomes for students in schools. Many stakeholders including parents, teachers, and circuit supervisors are complaining about the poor academic performance of pupils as a result of their indiscipline acts. This has prompted research into finding the effect of indiscipline on the health status of secondary school students, for instance, the problem of indiscipline has featured prominently in stakeholder meetings. Suggestions have been put forward on how to tackle the problem in the forums, but the teachers and parents have not been able to control this menace. It is in light of this reality that it was necessary to conduct a study on the effect of indiscipline on the health status of secondary school students. This problem is typical in secondary school students in ekiti state hence the need to conduct research in the area (The chronicle).

The purpose of the study was to explore the causes of students’ indiscipline at Ekiti state and how this affects their academic performance as well as the possible ways to addressing this problem.

The study sought to;

Identify the causes of student indiscipline in secondary schools in Ekiti state.

Examine the effects of students’ indiscipline on students; and

To identify possible ways indiscipline acts can be reduced or eradicated in secondary schools in Ekiti states.

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study.

1.       What are the causes of students’ indiscipline at secondary schools in Ekiti state?

2.       How does students’ indiscipline affect their academic performance?

3.       What are the possible ways of reducing or eradicating student indiscipline at secondary schools in Ekiti state ?

Conducting research into the effects of indiscipline is an important exercise for both academicians and policy makers. Learning cannot take place in an environment of chaos. The findings of the study will assist academicians, policy maker, administrators and teachers to know the causes of student indiscipline and therefore be in a better place to create conducive environment devoid of high level of student

indiscipline. The finding will also assist teachers to indentify the weaknesses of the existing strategies and also lead to the development of new strategies for addressing indiscipline in school. Also, the study will enlighten parents on the need to train their wards at home so that they can be good mannered and behave well at school, the community and the society as a whole.It will result in the community producing acceptable members of the society who aren’t threats to social stability and peace. That why the saying goes,’ charity begins at home’.

The study will also contribute to existing literature and stimulate further research on the topic and guide further research work.

As noted earlier, indiscipline problems persist in all schools across Nigeria, this study is limited to secondary schools in Ekiti state. The school is in two streams thus A and B. The study was limited to teachers and students. The teachers and students included in the sample were those in session as at the time of the study. The study focused on the causes and effects of students’ indiscipline in secondary schools in Ekiti state and how this affects their academic performance.

The study covers only one basic school hence the findings of this study would not be generalized to all junior high schools in the country. Interview was not use to collect gather because of the sample size involves and the availability of time. Another limitation was that the respondents’ just responded to the questionnaire without expressing their views in details. Also, most of the teachers were not at post as at the time the questionnaires were administered and a few of them did not return

This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research