Giving discipline the attention it deserves

A lot of good effort is being exerted throughout the country, both at the centre and the peripheries, for the twin purposes of reform and development.

To be sure, we are still way short of expectations at both ends.

In almost all sectors, in fact, much dissatisfaction about our performance prevails.

This is why, in part, we have many people cynical and critical of anything or everything that gets said or done. 

Nevertheless, much good work is being carried out by both governmental and non-governmental organisations, and by individuals and institutions.

A careful observer — one who does not automatically succumb to the cynicism, negativity and sweeping generalisations that are prevalent in our society — cannot but appreciate the numerous initiatives, small but significant, by many sincere people and professional organisations, that are being launched and implemented across the various governmental and societal spheres.

In education, in health, in women empowerment, in political reform, in IT literacy, in small businesses, in skills enhancement, in environmental awareness, in support of the youth and in many other spheres — very many specific initiatives and action plans are being implemented, and many are bearing fruit.

With reform and development in mind, many issues are being raised and many good solutions are being put in place.

With respect to education, for example, people have left no stone unturned in pursuit of relevant outcomes: in curricula, teacher training, teaching and learning methods, employment of technology, improving the physical settings of the learning environment, legislation, etc.

One issue, however, in education and in other sectors, is hardly receiving the attention it deserves: discipline.

In any society and in any sphere, discipline lies at the heart of both civil behaviour and societal progress.

Without it, there can be no meaningful reform or advancement.

If one looks at most problems that we have in our society, one finds that lack of discipline is an underlying characteristic.

This applies as much to traffic as to people’s conduct in public and to the performance of institutions.

Discipline, one would argue, is both the cause and the manifestation of positive, efficient action that leads to the desired results.

This is why discipline should receive a lot of attention, and the place to start working on it — in addition to the family — is the school.

The minute discipline is mentioned, many in our society connect it with punishment.

This, of course, is partly true. Undisciplined behaviour needs to be curbed, and undisciplined individuals need to be held accountable for their misconduct.

Nevertheless, discipline is much larger than this, and before we penalise (at least while we do it), we need to work on nurturing and fostering discipline.

Many people speak about the various skills that school education needs to enable students to possess, and the various good habits that are to be instilled in them: reading, speaking, writing, analysing, communicating, respecting the environment, etc.

I would like to suggest discipline as one of those most fundamental skills and habits.

I have been involved in higher education for more than 30 years, and I always find that lack of discipline is one of the most crucial impediments to learning and student development.

The same applies to impediments in so many other realms.

Discipline is one of those obvious things whose importance many of us take for granted, but do little or nothing about it.

Time to give it the attention it deserves.