Maintenance of Discipline in Schools

Behavioral problems in schools generally are and have been an area of concern for teachers, education policy makers and the public in general. Discipline of the learners in schools has been and is still regarded as a valuable cornerstone of learning. Discipline refers to the kind of order involved in trying to reach appropriate standards or follow appropriate rules of engaging in a valued activity. The valued activity of learners involves all that is meant to be formally learned in school.
Discipline refers to understanding of what is right and wrong or self-discipline being more than obedience to rules. Learners will be self-disciplined if they understand their responsibilities and behave accordingly in a classroom or learning environment or valued activity.
Actions that are or can be linked to any anti-social behavior such as laziness or acts of violence are always associated with a lack of discipline.
Even, learners when coming to the lecture or classroom with learning goals to achieve, expect their classmates to be well disciplined or display behavior that will not interrupt their learning process. In fact discipline is a kind of “moral compulsion” that one should submit to.
In South Africa, for example corporal punishment as a way of Insulting discipline in schools has long been outlawed and abolished. The citizens were left to provide alternate ways to this form of punishment. Is the use of corporal punishment as a method of instilling disciplines to be allowed in the school and universities or should it be abolished? Corporal punishment goes by variety of names as Beating, Hitting, Spanking, Paddling, Swatting and Canning.
Pupils and Individuals in Schools have been humiliated and hurt emotionally and physical because of corporal punishment and possibly lack of alternative methods of disciplines.
Instilling discipline in schools, as educators argue is problematic. Today we have a culture of disrespect, defiance of authority truancy and arrogance. Indiscipline abounds and respect and morality are declined. While teachers are assigned with tasks of fostering a culture of teaching and learning, the environment to achieve these goals are crumbling.
To maintain discipline in class or lecture room, the use of reinforcing stimuli is necessary. These include awards, free time smiles, nodes, praise from the teacher and peer approval. Discipline can equally be maintained in a work place in form of obedience, orderliness and proper subornation among employees and a restraint on the Liberty of individual.
Discipline should be a training to correct, mold or strengthen an Individual‘s behavior. It should be a strict adherence to established norms and regulations.
To maintenance good disciplinary environment in schools, the school rules and codes of conduct should be strictly adhered to by pupils and all educators in schools.
Psychologists or Guidance counselors should in most cases be available and talk to pupils occasionally and instill good morals to them. This will no doubt help instill discipline to maxima in schools and tertiary institutions.