Naick Gangloo

SURNAME
Student:
Sabrina
NAME

Programme Title: Diploma in Educational Management (Level II)

Year: 1 Semester: 2

Module Code: DEM 2212

Module Title: Managing School Discipline

Tutor/Lecturers: Dr T Mohabeer

Due Date: 29 May 2023 Date Submitted: 29 May 2023

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Assignment Group Re-sit

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Assignment Question
Discipline is widely acknowledged to be essential for many reasons, namely for creating a
positive school climate, for successful teaching and learning in schools, for improved academic
performances as well as for effective school management and accomplishment of its goals
(Masitsa, 2008; Eshetu, 2014; Njoroge & Nyabuto, 2014; Omte, Thinguri & Moenga, 2015).
(a) Refer to the above statement and your expected role as a Head of School, identify three
critical issues which relate to discipline concerning pupils and discuss their causes.
(b) Critically discuss how you would solve these issues to create a safe and effective learning
environment.
(c) Critically analyse the skills recommended for a Head of School to manage discipline and
to advise teachers on the subject.

As per the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environment, school discipline refers to
the rules and strategies applied in schools to manage student behaviour and practices used to
encourage self-discipline. Discipline is one of the key aspects in school management which
helps in bringing in a healthy school climate which in turn leads to a proper and fruitful teaching
and learning environment for the successful academic performance of pupils. However, there
are many issues related to discipline concerning pupils which undermine the proper and positive
school climate. Some of these traditional issues are fighting, acting disrespectfully, bullying,
insubordination and class disruption among others. But today we have disciplinary issues like
drugs, acts of crime and violence as well as sexual harassment and assaults over and above the
traditional issues.
Three main critical issues related to discipline concerning pupils would be:
1. Acting disrespectfully
2. Acts of violence
3. Movement of pupils between and during classes

1. ACTING DISRESPECTFULLY
Pupils acting disrespectfully is quite common nowadays in both primary and secondary schools.
This issue could be situations where students misbehave and use foul languages and signs against
each other as well as with teachers and other staff members including the Headteacher and
parents. There are even situations where students have urinated in the teacher’s drinking water
bottle and the teacher drank that water with his medicine, thus not noticing the water was not
suitable for drinking. Later the students repeat their act but this time they were caught as the
teacher noticed that the colour of the water a little different. Moreover, today we have pupils
who were supposed to be in secondary schools but are still in primary schools. Some of these
pupils are already going through an adolescence phase of life. Many of these students think they
can do whatever they want. These pupils at times do things like romancing in the school
compound. Students also tend to imitate what they see on the internet. Students record videos
and upload them on the Internet via ‘Tik-Tok’. These students are wasting their time and energy
in things which are less important than their studies.

CAUSES
Such actions from students could be due to various reasons like frustration, mental traumas,
inability to cope with the actual education system. Some pupils are often if not always being
compared with others who are academically better than them which makes them frustrated.
Some students cannot follow the actual curriculum especially because of language problem as
most subjects are taught in English and they tend to become idle in the class resulting in
excessive energy. Moreover, these pupils have no platform to express themselves as our
education system goes more towards academic success. Also, some pupils face a lot of family
issues such as broken families and stepparents who always hold the student responsible for
problem which arise even though the latter is not at fault. Some pupils are even being beaten or
see their mother being beaten by drunk father or other family members. Very often these pupils
are growing in an environment where there is no respect for each other at home as well as using
foul language is considered as normal and this is what they are learning. Thus, resulting in the
fact that they act in similar way at school. Also, students are given mobile phones or tablets at a
tender age. Instead of learning good things, some pupils access to all kind of wrong things on
the internet because often parents do not monitor what their children are watching.
STRATEGIES TO SOLVE THE ISSUE
As a Head of school, it is essential to have a good cooperation between the school, parents and
other stakeholders in order to maintain discipline in schools. A code of conduct for the students
at the school can be drafted after discussions with all stakeholders including parents. Such
actions will make parents and students more responsible. The Crime Prevention Unit of the
Mauritian Police Force, school inspectors and social workers will be invited to the school to
guide and provide counselling for students and parents and to carry workshops with teachers.
This will make the students and parents more aware of their duties and responsibilities as well as
the possible consequences of acting disrespectfully towards teachers and other students.
Moreover, deputy headteachers will be given the responsibility to go to classes on a regular basis
to talk to pupils on positive values and respect toward others. Teachers also will also be asked to
try to inculcate positive values in students. HEP educators will be asked to do various activities
to enable students to express themselves in healthy manner. This will help in diverting students’
excess energy in a more constructive direction and help them to concentrate better in class and in
their studies. Parents will be asked to monitor screen time and what their children do on the
internet. These measures will help in making most pupils more responsible for their acts and
also make parents more aware of responsibilities and duties towards their children. But often the
parents whose children do such acts do not come to school or to the counselling sessions.

2. ACT OF VIOLENCE
Nowadays school is a battlefield for some pupils. Cases of violence are heard quite often in
school. Pupils beat each other for very simple issues or clashes. At times, students bring in
things like screwdriver to harm other students. Recently, some students of grade 6 had a fight in
their class in the morning before the arrival of their teacher and they even broke a window. In
addition, one day, a student of another school waited for a student in the school just outside the
school gate to beat the latter after school hours. Pupils even throw things in class or try to beat
teachers who try to correct them when they are misbehaving. Pupils also fight or take revenge
on other students in toilets. Moreover, a child hit another child in the private part of his body
during recess time and the latter had to undergo an operation.

CAUSES
The crime and violence level has increased to a large extent in the last few years. This could be
because in many families both parents work and have no time to teach their children values and
to guide their children through the correct path in life. Most of today’s children spend their free
time playing games on mobile phones or tablet instead of playing football or other games which
help them to socialize and work in teams. Often the games they play on mobile phones are
violent and put forward the fact that only the “stronger survives”. Thus, giving a wrong
perception of life. Students try to imitate the heroes of their favorite game. Children are also
aware of their rights but not of their duties and responsibilities. Teachers today have no right to
scold a child or even give a hard stare as these are considered as actions which will traumatize
the student and affects his learning. We also have overpampered children. In addition, in
certain regions pupils live in violent environment and this is what they are learning and putting
into practice in their life. In some cases, the violent behaviour of pupils could be due to personal
mental suffering in the environment because of the way they are treated at home, at school or in
society.

STRATEGIES TO SOLVE THE ISSUE

A disciplinary committee including parents, ministry and representatives of the school will be set
up and actions will be taken to make students realize the consequences of their actions.
Students’ parents will be called to school and informed of their children’s actions. Students have
been referred to a psychologist with the permission of their parents. There is constant
monitoring of students during recess by teachers, deputy headteachers and the headteacher
himself who do orderly duties. In addition, the deputy headteachers and the headteacher stay in
the school compound some twenty minutes even after school to prevent fighting among students.
Also, students will be asked to report any case of violence involving school students in the
school, in vans or even around the school. Police and social workers will be requested to come
and talk to pupils on the consequences they will have to face when they act violently in school.
In some cases, it may be difficult to contact the parents but with the help of regional social
workers the contact may eventually be possible. Also, a psychologist may be asked to come to
talk to those pupils who have behavioural problems to find out the real cause of the child acting
in such a way. But it will take time for some students to have control on their violent behaviour.
3. MOVEMENT OF PUPILS BETWEEN AND DURING CLASSES
Movement of pupils between and during classes is inevitable because pupils have to go to toilet
during break time or move to other classes like ICT, Asian Languages, Arabic or Kreol Morisien
or HEP classes. Very often pupils make lot of noise or run while moving to toilet or other
classes during class hours. This causes lots of disturbance for other classes who are still
working. At times students also fight while moving from one class to another.

CAUSES
This situation arises because some classes at times go to the toilet unattended during break time.
Often during classes pupils ask the teacher permission to go to the toilet or to go for washing
their hands even just after break but as per rules and regulations, the teachers are not supposed to
refuse them permission. At times these pupils go out of class just to play. Moreover, students
move to ICT, Asian Language, Arabic or Kreol Morisien or HEP classes unattended. For Asian
Languages, Arabic or Kreol Morisien classes the timetable is such that one class starts at the
same time as another class ends. This at times create some problems on the stairs where students
may fall or get hurt when they come and go at the same time as the stairs are narrow.

STRATEGIES USED TO SOLVE THE ISSUE

Teachers will be requested to accompany their pupils to toilet during breaks to reduce noise and
disturbance in the school. During the morning assembly, pupils will be explained how they
should behave while moving to other classes that is moving in queue and without making noise.
Class teachers will also be asked to remind their students from time to time, how they should
move in the school compound between and during classes. Deputy headteachers are also given
the responsibility to monitor the movement of students in the school during working hours. In
addition, other educators are asked to have an eye on students when the latter leave the Asian
Language, Arabic and Kreol Morisien, ICT and HEP classes, especially when students are on the
stairs. However, this not always possible for the Asian Language, Arabic and Kreol Morisien
teachers because often they are still working with one class and the other classes are already
waiting outside. Also, at times even the Deputy headteachers and headteacher are replacing in
classes where the class teacher is absent. Caretakers can also be asked to give a helping hand by
having an eye on pupils who are moving around in the school compound for various reasons.
SKILLS RECOMMENDED TO MANAGE DISCIPLINE AND TO ADVISE
TEACHERS
As a headteacher one must maintain discipline in the school both among teachers and students to
make the teaching and learning process successful. First of all, any cases of misbehaviour and
violence has to be recorded in the school logbook. Then the inspectorate must be informed of
the situation and also an enquiry must be carried out to identify the root cause of the problem and
who were involved in it. The Headteacher has to ascertain a healthy school climate and adopt an
open-door policy where each and every one, be it teachers, parents and students as well as other
stakeholders has the opportunity to express their views and ideas in order to help in the school
discipline. This will enable everyone to be able to report any cases of misbehaviour and
violence. The Headteacher must be able to make everyone come together to work in
collaboration and within the rules and regulations of the school and ministry so as to have a
disciplined school environment. Also, a Headmaster must have the ability to build a trustworthy
relationship with his staff, students and parents. This will allow everyone to report cases of
indiscipline more easily. Moreover, a Head of school should be able to make parents and
teachers participate in certain decisions concerning the school discipline for example in setting
certain rules and regulations for misbehaviour or cases of violence. At the same time, a
Headteacher has to be able to empower his staff both teaching and non-teaching to deal with
pupils who are violent or misbehave in the school. In addition, it is necessary for the
Headteacher to get correct information like pupils’ background on students who misbehaves or
are violent at school. This will help in solving the issues from the root and not just accusing the
children of creating problems at school. Also, this may help the children to come out of their
problems and be able to express their feelings. As a Head of school, one has to visit classes from
time to time to be able to monitor pupils’ behaviour and to advise teachers on the means and
ways they can adopt to maintain discipline in class and in the school. In fact, Head of schools
may be willing to do many things to help their pupils but due to the rules, regulations and
administrative procedures their hand may be tied up to some extent.
REFERENCES:
- Diploma in Educational Management, Managing School Discipline, Centre for Distance
Education, Mauritius Institute of Education.
- safesupportivelearning.ed.com
- www.theschoolrun.com
- zenmauritius.wordpress.com
- lexpress-mu.cdn.ampproject.org
- www.lemauricien .com