What can children do when adults are bad?

I read the article ‘Oh boy you are violent’ in The Sunday Times Plus of March 4 and thought I should add my thoughts too.

It is no wonder that discipline in our schools has deteriorated and is deteriorating very rapidly. This is remarkably evident in state-managed schools. We cannot expect anything better from the children of parents of an indisciplined society.

Today we live in a society where man has scaled the heights in science and technology which in turn he uses in a subtle and sophisticated manner to deceive, assassinate and massacre the innocents.

Daily our children hear and see on TV how our people have robbed millions from the state, how state funds are misused, how rogues are protected by powerful people and about the number of deaths and disappearances that take place daily. Our children also see how their elder brothers in universities attack one another with clubs, cycle chains and kris knives.

This is a society where powerful people show less adherence to law and order. All these acts of felony are committed by the parents of our schoolchildren. They learn by imitating their parents.

The case of the children who come from broken homes is a different issue that may not have any bearing to the criminalized adult society. The canker lies in the adult society. Until this canker is eliminated can the helpless school teacher instil discipline in the school by showing love or loving kindness to children?

By P.A. Binduhewa, Panadura