The Church in Kenya Concerned about “Destructive Behaviour” in Schools, Proposes Non-judgmental engagement with Students

CANAA || By Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla, Nairobi || 13 August 2015

The Catholic Church in Kenya is concerned about unbecoming behaviour in schools and sites some destructive incidences, some fatal, and “cases of students’ involvement in radicalization and other deviant behaviours” as examples of a bad trend that needs to be addressed urgently.

The concerns were voiced on Tuesday by the chairman of the Commission for Education and Religious Education of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Bishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba while delivering his keynote address to the participants at the Catholic Schools Principals Conference.

The conference brought together members of the Catholic Schools Principals Association in Kenya (CaSPA-K), education secretaries and religious education advisors, faculty members of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), members of staff of the Commission for education and religious education, among other participants under the theme, “Saving the Youth from Destructive Behaviour; A Catholic schools Responsibility.”

Addressing the over 900 participants, Bishop Muhatia expressed concerns about “destructive behavior” witnessed in schools across the country, “some which are Catholic based.”

“How do we increase this formative engagement with our youths in school to bring about a calm environment conducive for learning and good behaviour,” Bishop Muhatia posed.

“How do we go about strengthening relationships between: Principals and the youth; the youth and teachers; Youth and their parents; principals, teachers and parents; schools and the church community,” he continued to inquire from the participants at the three-day conference held at CUEA.

He proposed a collaborative and non-judgemental engagement with students, emphasizing the need to initiate and foster formative and pastoral support programs for the youth through “interaction, positive relationships and open channels of communication.”

“Journeying with the young also means reprimanding them for wrong doing, honestly evaluating them, coaching them and reassuring them,” Bishop Muhatia clarified.

“Therefore, to effectively deal with the destructive behaviour in our institutions, we need God back in the classrooms and at the centre of all our operations. In this way, building positive relationships and acquiring other virtues will not be a big challenge,” he added.

Bishop Muhatia encouraged School Principals to “Embrace the foundational virtues of humility, respect and stewardship” arguing that practicing such virtues has the power to inspire students to behave appropriately.

Below is the full text of the keynote address by Bishop Maurice Muhatia.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS PRINCIPALS CONFERENCE

AUGUST 11-13, 2015

KEY NOTE ADDRESS BY RT. REV. MAURICE M. MAKUMBA

___________________________________________________________

My Brother Bishops,

Catholic Schools Principals,

Education Secretaries & Religious Education Advisors,

Faculty Members of CUEA,

Members of Staff of the Commission for Education & Religious Education,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I great you all in the name of Jesus Christ.

I am really humbled and gratified to see you all. Your presence gives the entire Catholic Bishops Conference encouragement that a lot of good is happening in Catholic schools which you lead all for the benefit of the young people.

I take this opportunity to [thank] the CaSPA-K Interim Committee for organising this Conference. My gratitude to the Catholic University of Eastern Africa for hosting and sponsoring this conference a 2^nd time. Thanks to the various sponsors who have contributed towards the holding of this conference.

Focus of the Conference

The theme for this year’s Conference is “Saving the Youth from Destructive Behaviour; A Catholic schools Responsibility’.

The second term that has just ended was marked with destructive incidences in over eight schools across the country, some which are Catholic based. Earlier in the year, cases of student’s involvement in radicalization and other deviant behaviours were witnessed in some of our schools. These behaviours have brought about negative effects on the learning, teaching and formative role a school as well as challenging parental care and societal norms. It is for these reasons that the theme was chosen in order to give us an opportunity to reflect and come up with effective strategies of increasing our formative engagement with the youth in schools.

How do we increase this formative engagement with our youths in school to bring about a calm environment conducive for learning and good behaviour?

How do we go about strengthening relationships between: Principals and the youth; the youth and teachers; Youth and their parents; principals, teachers and parents; schools and the church community?

For us to be effective fully in addressing the destructive behaviours of the young people, we need   collaborative and non-judgemental engagement of every player taking into account that all of us (principals, teacher, parent, student, church, local community) are indispensable in the upbringing of young people.

In view of this I propose that:

Collaborative and Non-judgemental Engagement

You explore possibility of meeting with the mentioned players at school level to work out formative and pastoral care support programs for the youth in your schools. Some of the students engaged in destructive behaviour may be experiencing difficulty psycho-social growth challenges that may not have been addressed.

 Building a Humane School Community

Building a humane school community that encourages interaction, positive relationships and open channels of communication. This is possible through establishment of holistic welfare activities program namely spiritual and moral formation activities, regular teachers-students ‘barazas’, community outreach(social action) and protection of the most vulnerable members of the school community. Flourishing of the human individual occurs through participation in the life of the church.

Journeying with Students

Catholic schools are called to journey with our young people out of darkness in to the light of risen Christ. It is the expectations of parents and society that Catholic schools form and inform children as well as shield from harm. Students look up to you for guidance so encourage them, lead them on and share your fundamental humane religious values for them emulate.

Journeying with the young also means reprimanding them for wrong doing, honestly evaluating them, coaching them and reassuring them. This also calls for fostering critical thinking skills and informed decision making visvis unreasoned mob behaviour. It is our responsibility to instil in the young people a sense of personal responsibility for every action chosen. As Pope Francis states we need to provide an education which teaches crit­ical thinking and encourages the development of mature moral values’’   Young people have to be helped to realize from this early age that ‘’choices have individual consequences’’.

Instilling Virtues

In order for our schools to be successful, in fulfilling their mission they must instil within the young people a life of virtue. Our young people need to acquire and master many virtues in order to navigate well the perilous waters of life in the world of today. Such virtues include chastity and humility; both because they are foundational and because they are virtues which contemporary culture either does not support or outright disparages in a very aggressive way. Yet the two are the basis and solution to societal social problems. The way the modern society views these virtues is what has made God be relegated to a second place.

Therefore, to effectively deal with the destructive behaviour in our institutions, we need God back in the classrooms and at the centre of all our operations. In this way, building positive relationships and acquiring other virtues will not be a big challenge.

Catholic schools have the charge of instilling in their students morality and growth towards holiness. We have to accept that God speaks to students through the moral challenges they are facing through prayers, study, and guidance and in the sacraments.

“The temptation we all feel is to soft-peddle the teaching of virtues- it is better not to go there or at least do not insist upon it ,less we be judged adversely by others and not ‘’fit-in’’. But this is the time more than ever, that our Catholic schools have to step-up to the plate and be true to what they are called to be –for the good of our young people in this life and in the next ‘’ (Archbishop Cordileone ,Archdiocese of San Francisco, February 6, 2015) .

Distinguishes principals, make chastity and humility your schools’ mantra and you will reap, positive relationships and performance.  

Engagement with the Youth

A living school is characterised by active participation of members in the day to day operations of the school proportionate to their status and abilities. The concept of the student’s councils, parent’s teachers association and boards of management is to encourage this participation. I would like to focus on student leadership and involvement in the day to day activities of a school.

How do we engage our students so that they talk and act with us and not against us? How do we get them to tell us when happy and when hurting?

I suggest that the following:

Embrace Democracy

Every school need to define clear roles and responsibilities of student’s leaders and induct them fully into service and godly leadership. We need to encourage them to share their views honestly and with respect with the principal and staff as appropriate. Never ignore views from students. All students should be encouraged to give their views either informally as individuals or through students-teachers barazas.

It is of great importance that religious, ethnic and socio-economic status of students must not be allowed to drive the democratic process in the school. A sense of respect for human dignity for all persons is a central social teaching of the Catholic Church and must be upheld in our schools.

Upholding school Rules and Regulations

Schools are preparing students as responsible citizens of the world. It is therefore important that they appreciate, own and practice the rule of law. Schools have rules, regulations and even code of conduct which are meant to maintain a safe and well-ordered environment for the benefit of everyone in the school. Students on admission must have a clear understanding of the rewards and sanctions arising from adherence or non-adherence of the school rules. There is no exception.

Conclusion

For the principals to be able to guide the whole process of saving the youth from destructive behaviour, I appeal to you to:

Embrace the foundational virtues of humility, respect and stewardship and your students will ‘’pick them from’’ you. This will also give you moral authority to influence students for positive behaviour. Remember that, it is your privilege to accompany students at a very critical stage of their life’s journey. Your own faith and beliefs will illumine your own faith journey and set you ready to bring out the young people out of their darkness into the light of   exploitation of their full human potential through holistic education.

I appeal to you to draw inspiration from Proverbs 4;23

“Watch over your heart with all diligence for from it, flows the springs of life.’’

It is my earnest prayer that this Conference will leave a mark in your hearts that will translate into actions that will touch the hearts of the young people you lead. We need to see and feel the impact of this conference experiences in your particular school. With the spirit of Jesus Christ ,we must transform the young people, because “from your hearts should flow the springs of life.’’

“Education cannot be neutral. It is either positive or negative; either it enriches or it impoverishes; either it enables a person to grow or it lessens, even corrupts him. The mission of schools is to develop a sense of truth, of what is good and beautiful. And this occurs through a rich path made up of many ingredients. This is why there are so many subjects; because development is the results of different elements that act together and stimulate intelligence, knowledge, the emotions, the body, and so on.”

(Pope Francis Address with Italian school teachers, parents, educators, pupils and other workers, May 10, 2014)

PRESENTATION OF NATIONAL CaSPA-K OFFICE BEARERS

Chair------ 

Vice Chair…………

Secretary……………

Treasurer……………..

References

http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/2722/Pope-Francis-Makes-First-Major-Statements-on-Catholic-Education.aspx#sthash.1hE6n1AB.dpuf