•NUT laments breakdown of discipline in schools
By Adesina Wahab
Few days ago, the social media was agog with different scenes of final year secondary school students rejoicing after writing their final papers in the Secondary School Certificate Examination, SSCE, conducted by the West African Examinations Council, WAEC. The various scenes recorded in some parts of the country left many parents, social workers, teachers and even some students, concerned and bewildered.
The most audacious and seriously unbecoming behaviour of youngsters in a culture like ours, was recorded in Ondo State, where some students went as far as fondling one another in the public and recording same for transmission on the Internet. The state government.has since identified the affected students and schools and slammed some sanctions on them.
Sign-out started in tertiary institutions and there too, it became uncontrollable and even led to death on some occasions. Driven by peer pressure and social media influence, these celebrations often escalate from classic autograph-signing on white shirts, to dangerous public disturbances. Something that started as a simple cherished rite of passage where graduating students wore plain white shirts on their final exam day for classmates and lecturers to write farewell messages and well wishes on, has gone out of control. Processions often involve reckless behaviour, excessive alcohol consumption, and the vandalization of institutional facilities. The pouring of substances like paint, dirty water, and engine oil on colleagues is commonplace. Many tertiary institutions have since outlawed the event.
