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Crime points to lawlessness in schools
View(s):The arrests of three students suspected of carrying out serial robberies of mobile phone shops have raised questions among educationists over the increasing lawlessness and lack of respect for moral values in schools. The three Advanced Level students, who targeted mobile phone shops in the Kottawa and Maharagama areas were arrested and released on bail of Rs. 50,000 each by the Nugegoda Magistrate last Sunday (March 2).
Students have recently been accused of robbing mobile phones. (File pic)
Magistrate Aruna Aluthge ordered their release having given consideration to the fact that the suspects are young students and that jail terms would result in them acquiring improved knowledge of criminal activity. They are to appear before Kottawa Police over two further complaints. Police investigations began on February 25 after the owner of a phone shop said mobile phones worth Rs. 308,670 had been stolen that day.
The suspects had gained access to the shop from the roof and damaged the CCTV cameras fixed there, said an official of the Maharagama Police. The culprits were identified as students from a school in Kottawa and residents of the Rukmale and Mahalwarawa areas, and when police searched their homes the stolen phones were found and also accessories and recharge cards.
“The complainant recognised 58 mobile phones and 11 dummy phones to be the items that were robbed from his shop but claimed that the phone accessories and mobile recharge cards found by police did not belong to him,” said a police official. “Subsequently we found that those items had been stolen from shops in Kottawa area and two more complaints were lodged against these suspects,” the officer added.
“This is just one incident reported – currently there are so many violations taking place at school level, which is highly regrettable,” said the educationist Prof. S. Chandarasekaram, a member of National Education Commission and a former academic at the University of Colombo. Deterioration of discipline in schools was a major cause of such behaviour, he said.
“In former days there was social control over students but now teachers, principals and parents don’t have a hold over students. The youth are not scared of anything, knowing that there is always a way of escape,” he said. “School is a microcosm of society, so lawlessness in society is reflected in the school system as well. Youngsters have grown bold enough to engage in unlawful acts.”
“Robbery is becoming so frequent in society to the extent that it has moved into the school system and I see it is as being caused by the absence of strict laws,” the secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) Joseph Stalin said. “Nowadays the Education Ministry is keener on the celebrative part of education, such as holding various ceremonies, processions etc. rather than trying to reform the school system to enhance discipline among both teachers and students,” he said, claiming that the first circular with regard to disciplines of schools had been approved in 2005 but had not yet been properly implemented.
A member of the All-Ceylon Principals’ Union who wished to stay unnamed said the degradation of behaviour in schools was a result of how modern life had affected the mentality of children.“Unlike the past, children are not left a space to enjoy their childhood. They are caught up amidst a rat race. Therefore we see a deterioration of morals and values in students,” he said. “Children are very exposed to the external influences such as media and other modern technology and have become incapable of separating good from evil,” he said.