Students must be responsible for their actions

Is there anything that could justify the destruction Litein Boys unleashed on their own institution? Can’t we just agree that the act was despicable?

The boys simply woke up and destroyed their own school, an institution built over the years through the collective sacrifices of society to nurture their aspirations and dreams. They went to the library and computer lab and set them ablaze. Just imagine.

They stormed their classrooms, smashed windows, and turned everything upside down. Even their dormitories, the very place they sleep, were not spared. No way. That cannot be excused or countenanced, and there is nothing “Gen Z” energy or youthful rebellion about it.

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Yes, I know it is difficult to advance this argument because school strikes are not new. We have seen worse cases before. Buildings have been razed to the ground and deaths registered. In most instances, the blame has been laid on administration failures, and sometimes justifiably so.

Perhaps a rightful request was denied, or errors of omission triggered discontent. It is also true that some administrators are high handed, unapproachable, or slow to act. Parents too have been faulted for abdicating their duty of instilling discipline in their children. These points may all be valid.

But when do we ever shift the focus and let students shoulder their own responsibility? One philosopher once remarked that students are “customers who pay for something they do not need.” We don’t remind them enough that they are the true clients. Parents and teachers are only facilitators.

The scale of destruction at Litein will now translate into punitive costs for parents. This is unacceptable, and decisive action must be taken lest this becomes the norm. Worse still, there were allegations that the boys threatened to storm a neighbouring girls’ school to cause more harm. That is not only reckless but also a blatant disregard of the law and the moral cornerstones of society.

Students must understand that they have a stake in their institutions and in the dreams their parents and guardians are striving to nurture. They must be reminded that in acts of crime, like those witnessed during this strike, they will bear individual responsibility. Beyond that, they are solely accountable for how their future turns out, and that future is shaped day by day.

Most importantly, students must think about their parents and the backgrounds they come from. In 100 per cent of such cases, it is the parent who gets punished mentally, emotionally and financially. The hefty fines and rebuilding costs will be borne by parents already sacrificing everything to secure a better future for their children. Every setback hits them harder than it does the students.

For this reason, simply arresting students is not enough. They need to be sat down and reminded of these realities, perhaps through workshops, counseling, or leadership training. While we must demand better from school administrators, parents and guardians, we must equally demand more from the students themselves. At their age, they can conceive, internalise and live by these truths.

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