adminCollen Takaza and Ruvimbo Nyikadzino
Misbehaviour causes innumerable disturbances both in the classroom and outside the classroom making it difficult for students to take pleasure in the educational process.
School-going children misbehave for various reasons.
Behavioural specialist, Linda Albert, in her book, “Co-operative Discipline”, has theorised that children behave badly to meet various emotional needs. They may be acting out to get attention or to avoid looking like a failure, or to show members of their group that they are in charge. They could as well be acting out of feelings of revenge toward the adult.
In interviews with several pupils and students in the high-density areas of Glen View, Glen Norah and Tanaka area these writers unearthed countless forms of misconduct among young people.
Students from the ages of 13 years are engaging in untoward activities outside the classroom.
There is rampant abuse of substances such as cough syrups, taking of the “ganja biscuit” drugs coated with biscuits, alcohol, most shockingly marijuana. Taking dagga is outlawed in Zimbabwe and this act is actually delinquency on the part of these young people.
Quite a number of students interviewed indicated that it is not infrequent for high school students to engage in early sex activities among themselves.
A significant number of female students have dropped out of school due to unwanted pregnancies.
What is worrying is that most Zimbabwean youths who become sexually active at an early age encounter social, cultural, and economic barriers to the information and health services they need to shield themselves against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other threats to their sexual and reproductive health.
Some of the male students are actually smokers and as for alcohol abuse, both female and male students are found wanting.
At school, students act up by making fun of others, talking out of turn or simply being disobliging in class and being violent towards others. They can also be overly argumentative in class and even behaving in a hooligan manner, for example, throwing stones at windows or stealing from others and teasing others.
Some of the male students also have a tendency of stalking girls, while some tend to take advantage of young innocent girls whom they assault sexually by fondling their breasts and patting their buttocks.
Our observation revealed that misconduct among young people has remained rife even under the current lockdown.
Some male students are found engaging in activities such as smoking and drinking alcohol in shebeens in the Tanaka area and in Glen Norah. A 16-year-old boy intimated that he was addicted to drugs and usually sneaks out of home to take drugs.
In the evenings, boys and girls could be seen standing in dark areas giggling and kissing. However, most girls were found to be at home most of the time as it became difficult for them to be away during late ours.
Reasons for misconduct
Pupils who were interviewed noted that disrupted families are a major cause for young people to engage in wrong-doing. Disintegrated families are also the major reason for the involvement of female students in these unpleasant activities.
Females tend to connect more to their families through socialisation causing them to negate bad acts but when this ingredient is lacking they are likely to go astray.
Socialisation plays a pivotal role in the gender gap in misbehaviour because male and female juveniles are often socialised differently and their experiences are heavily mediated by gender, ultimately altering their interactions in society.
On the other hand, many young women in Zimbabwe face tremendous social and economic pressures to engage in early sex in search of financial security.
Many pupils face a lot of challenges at home due to their socio-economic status, as a result, they engage in activities that threaten their future. A 15-year-old girl from Glen Norah says whenever she smokes marijuana she is stress-free.
At home, parents are expected to help their children to behave in a certain manner. They often instigate processes through which adolescents can transition to adulthood.
However, there is a lack of communication on sex issues between parents and children resulting in widespread adolescent ignorance and vulnerability.
Francis Chizororo, writes that Shona speaking adults in Zimbabwe believe that children are sexually inactive, disinterested, and therefore ignorant about sexual issues. It is believed that talking about sex encourages experimentation – two lines of thinking that reinforce the taboo on talking about sex. Parents, however, tend to warn their children on the dangers of drug use and abuse.
A 17-year-old girl from Glen View suburb says that she has a frosty relationship with her parents and she cannot at all discuss anything to do with misbehaviour with them. She says that for the past two years she has been drinking alcohol and has engaged in sex with teenage boys.
Peer influence is one of the major reasons why students from secondary schools in the high-density areas engage in these activities. Youths who are most likely to be influenced by fellow pupils are those whose relationship with family members or guardians is not healthy.
Stepping into uncharted waters
For some youths engaging in sex, taking alcohol and smoking is seen as a “cool” and pleasurable experience which a normal young person should never miss.
Young men, tend to have sex for pleasure, prestige, and as proof of maturity. Though these activities are not new, they cause young people to feel as if they are getting into “uncharted waters.”
Lastly, the classroom environment (seating arrangements, noise, and all other off-putting elements), challenges with the curriculum itself, and lack of self-confidence are also other reasons for misbehaviour at school.
The writers are students at the University of Zimbabwe
Online Reporter