I have served as a board chairman in two public schools and my take on unrest in secondary schools is as a result of indiscipline in schools which reflects poor and irresponsible parenting. I have sat in many disciplinary sessions in both schools and amazingly noted that most parents support their teenage children even in clear cases where the children are involved in vices like theft, drug trafficking and abuse, assault or arson. 

It is also very disheartening to note that many intellectuals, business leaders, managers and professionals have ignored participation in the management of public education institutions. Service in School Boards is not remunerated and consequently many people choose to stay away from it.  I guess it is more pleasurable to spend time in bars and other social places, rather than giving service to the society. The result is that many public schools are managed by old and unenergetic retirees, semi-literate business people and other non-professionals. 

This has created a managerial gap in most schools since many of those old managers cannot cope up with the rapid social, technological, economic and cultural changes in our country. This is paradoxical since the recent changes in the Education Act and the newly enacted Public Procurement and Disposal Act require schools to be managed by a person with a fairly good understanding of Public Finance and Institutional Management. School Boards with members who do not possess managerial skills, expertise and experience are a major source of discontent among students and parents. 

Parents usually oppose a school administration if they perceive it to be incompetent, opaque or unaccountable.  Students on the other hand will engage in insidious conduct to protest against such managers. The protests have become more pronounced and dangerous since the use of corporal punishment in school was abolished.  

Parents are very quick to blame the school administration when things go wrong in a school, yet they shy away from making a conscious effort and practical contribution to the management of the institutions. If anything, boarding schools have become the euphemism for abdication of parental responsibility. They have become the place to abandon teenage children as parents pursue other interests.

Parents regard teenage children as desired and necessary but ephemerally disposable "irritants". A boarding school is regarded as the best place to send children to give parents space. This warped parental attitude is a major cause of indiscipline in schools since many irresponsible parents will do anything including bribing and use of threats to ensure that their children remain in boarding schools and away from home at any cost. Such parents seldom support the school administration in matters of enforcing discipline. 

It is important for the government, parents, school managers and educationists to review the current system of managing public institutions. The system should allow all the stakeholders to take up their fair share of responsibility. I also appeal to more Professionals, business leaders, intellectuals and managers to be altruistic and agree to assume responsibility and spend their valuable time in running public schools. Let us all participate in building a better future generation.