Dear Editor,
It hurt me to the core when I read of the rape of a six-year-old boy in his school’s toilet, by pupils a few years older than him. Imagine the pain that this child was forced to endure! Imagine the agony of his parents as they seek to come to grips with the violation of their child in the “safety” of his school! Then there’s the ripple effect as other parents, fearing for their children’s safety, congregate outside the school, seeking assurance that their children are safe.
This case is just one more negative scenario that has been exposed. We have been hearing more and more of bullyism, drug use, sexual experimentation etc in our schools. Where did we go wrong? Can we blame the internet for all of society’s ills? We cannot merely sit and wring our hands and ask ‘ what is the world coming to…?’. We must find solutions on different fronts!
I believe that firstly, we must instil moral values in our children at home, so that they can act responsibly and humanely, standing tall and unshakeable in a world of shifting standards. We may need to arrange parenting seminars for parents, who themselves may need help! Secondly, because children spend more waking hours at school than at home, our teachers must be equipped to encourage and guide our children in the way of truth and help to shape their behaviour in a positive way. Thirdly, we need national leaders who will stand resolutely against anything, anyone, or any system that seeks to tamper with or distort this God-ordained (not man-made) foundation of our world – the family and family-oriented values! Also, we must be our brothers’(and sisters’) keepers. We have to look out for each other and lend a helping hand if or when the occasion demands it.
Religious education, which benefited all of us who were privileged to experience this system (regardless of our religious persuasion) was taken out of the school system. Now we have become more “enlightened” and accommodating, and we and our children are reaping the rewards of rejecting absolutes – right or wrong, true or false!
I propose that at least once weekly there be a general assembly in every school, and for just about ten minutes or so, students are given a talk on moral issues, for, if we lose our children, we lose ourselves, we lose our nation, we lose our world!
There is hope! Let us get back to basics! Our nation will prosper, our children and the wave of the future will flourish, as we see beyond oil and other forms of material prosperity and embrace tried and tested values!
Sincerely,
Claudia Heywood
