Use classrooms to instill good morals among the youths.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Friday 14th June 2024, during the commissioning of new classrooms at Highway Manyatta Primary School in Ruai, Kasarani Constituency, Nairobi. The Deputy President said the Government is working closely with all Education stakeholders and elected leaders to improve learning infrastructure across the country to increase enrollment and quality of studying.[FILE.PCS]

Kenyans have always been good people—polite and respectful. As Africans, our old-school mothers taught us the values of good morals. This upbringing demanded politeness and respect for elders and peers. Any hint of impoliteness was met with severe consequences. Teachers were part of the community, and parenting was a shared responsibility.

They say change is as good as a rest. However, not all changes bring meaningful rest. As a people and as a nation, we seem to be changing for the worse. It is time we go back to the drawing board and address the moral decay in our country.

I believe education plays a vital role in shaping citizens into assets for society. Education instills the right ideals in a person, fostering personality development. As the Bible teaches, if you train a child in the right way, they will not depart from it in their youth or old age.

As much as we are good people and deserve credit for that, there are many gaps we need to address. We often exploit our growing democracy to abuse morality. The memes targeting President Ruto, for instance, are unhealthy. We can express dissatisfaction while remaining respectful. Let us use education to instill morals in our children and youth. Arrests and abductions may instill fear, but they do not teach morals.

I challenge those in educational settings to use the power of teaching and learning to save our nation. Education has the potential to close the gaps in our national character. Parents and teachers must work together to strengthen the institution of parenting.

We seem to have either forgotten or ignored our national goals of education, which can shape us into the best versions of ourselves. What we have lost as a nation is respect for one another. Moral decay is at an all-time high. Our teens and youth disrespect elders to appease their egos. Worse still, such acts are celebrated by some elders who should be setting an example of good morals.

From this perspective, I respectfully disagree with the Majority and Minority leaders in the National Assembly, who suggest that disrespectful youth should be arrested and tried. While they may appear justified under cybercrime laws, arrests and abductions do not promote morality.

Education should teach us to appreciate our rich and diverse cultural heritage. By doing so, we learn to value ourselves and respect others. This positive culture can trickle down to society, fostering a strong national character.

Let us not crucify our youth as we address these challenges. Our leaders and elders have also contributed to moral decay. Time and again, we have witnessed our leaders engaging in name-calling on national television. The youth have merely perfected the art of this behavior, which we introduced to them.

Stakeholders should encourage teachers to prioritize discipline. Discipline is essential for national growth. It is meaningless to produce scholars who cannot relate well with others in society—scholars who insult elders, leaders, and peers under the guise of democracy. We must agree that scoring high grades in school is not the ultimate measure of success. Character can take you further than grades ever will. To dwell in peace, love, and unity, where respect prevails, we must use our classrooms to instill discipline in our children. Arresting or abducting them is far from the solution to teaching the morals we all desire.

Mr Wanda is a teacher at Joybirds Preparatory School