‘Let ex-soldiers maintain discipline in schools’
Former soldiers should be employed in Malaysia’s schools to keep discipline, according to this writer in 2012.
IT seems the favourite
topic currently among newspaper columnists and readers who send letters to the
editors of newspapers is school discipline and caning as punishment in schools.
Caning is an archaic method
to discipline students in schools.
There are many better ways
to instil discipline in students and one of the ways is counselling.
The majority of parents are
not in favour of corporal punishment in schools.
However, as a parent, I do
cane my own children at home if I find them misbehaving or if they show
improper conduct and, in the case of my own children, it does work in
disciplining them.
Some schools, colleges and
tertiary institutions have psychologists and counsellors to look into
disciplinary problems at the institutions they are in and this is a very good
thing.
Those that cannot afford to
have psychologists and counsellors can resort to retired soldiers to carry out
the same duties, as many of them are trained and experienced to handle wayward
students.
This is also cheaper than
employing specialists such as psychologists and counsellors.
The Malaysian Army has
fairly young people with the rank of corporal, sergeant and warrant officer who
retire every year.
These people, aged around
40, are excellent candidates to be employed as school discipline masters.
Some, if not all, have
special trades and are qualified carpenters, electricians, mechanics, medics,
plumbers, computer system specialists (hardware and software) and sports
coaches.
Employing them will benefit
schools.
Both primary and secondary
schools would do better if they employed people who are disciplinarians
themselves or people who have received formal training in maintaining
discipline.
Retired and experienced
military personnel are all qualified, well trained, experienced, fit and will
fit well into the school system.
Besides their job as
discipline masters, they can also be made responsible for the general upkeep
and maintenance of the school compound, including carrying out simple and
routine repairs and maintenance.
They can also take care of
the school’s uniformed groups such as Army and Police Cadet Corp, Scouts and
Girl Guides, as well as sports such as athletics, football, rugby and hockey.
Experienced soldiers do not
have any qualms about serving in towns or rural areas.
They will be happy if their
jobs come with decent quarters for their family, in addition to a reasonable
salary and allowances.
Perhebat, based in Sungai Buloh, the army’s centre for
training and resettling retiring soldiers, can provide the human resources that
schools need.
Perhebat can work closely
with the school division in the Education Ministry as well as the Ministry of
Higher Education on how best this programme can be implemented.
HUSSAINI ABDUL KARIM, Shah
Alam.
As published in
The Star, Malaysia, 5 June 2012
Picture credit:
Unknown
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