That more than 200 students face a bleak future because of the recent school fires should serve as a hard lesson to learners, parents and teachers.
These teenagers thought it was about going home for an early break or that doing what others were doing was in vogue but little did they know lighting that match could come at a cost many are unprepared to pay.
The reasons given for burning schools are base and flimsy. Some students threatened to burn their school after administrators asked them to keep short hair. Others wanted to burn their school because their friends had been suspended. The age-old excuse of poor diet was also cited for the mass destruction.
Once charged in court, the students’ careers remain bleak after the government disclosed that it had profiled and archived their personal data for future reference, particularly for employment purposes.
According to police officers handling the matter, the students’ criminal records would be indicated in their Certificates of Good Conduct whenever they apply for one. Police say profiling the students will enable employers to know the criminal background of students involved in the arson attacks on learning institutions.
In the short-term, parents are hard-pressed to post bail for their children with magistrates setting tough terms for those who appeared in court.
All this could have been avoided if everyone played their role. Counselors and psychologists say the teenagers could be expressing their frustrations from elements at home or in society.
The youngsters could be battling peer pressure, rejection, drug abuse or even family dysfunction. These, coupled with the pressures of adolescence, form a toxic combination.
As the children battle to prove their innocence in court parents and teachers should introspect on what they could have done differently to avoid such a piteous end. We ask the authorities to punish evil.
There is no excuse for endangering lives and destroying property. However, the punishment should be tampered with understanding and sympathy. Indeed, one foolish act should not be used to determine one’s future.
If the students can reform and show remorse, they should be pitied and the negative element struck from their records. There are myriad ways of guiding them into becoming responsible adults.
Talks and counseling should be employed before condemnation. Students are coming home for the Christmas break and it should be every parent’s responsibility to engage their children on why building a bright future starts now.