D for discipline: Unruly students to be taught manners hard way

Misbehaving middle and secondary school students of both genders will be banned for one month from school, have to take extra religious and life skills classes and face various other sanctions under new regulations.
These are some of the penalties that form part of the mandatory code of conduct for school students that parents have to sign at the start of every academic year.
Arab News reported previously that the Education Ministry drafted these new rules to counter unruly and violent students at schools.
The ministry wants to tackle those students who embrace destructive notions and beliefs, neglect Islamic rituals, are involved in sexual offenses, possess weapons and drugs, physically assault fellow students, schoolteachers and officials and forge official documents.
Ministry spokesman Muhammad Al-Dekhaini said moral education was an important part of the education process. He said the rules are aimed at improving and encouraging proper behavior, and providing school officials with clear measures for dealing with erring students.
He said the ministry has measures for violations based on their severity. It also gives marks for behavior, attendance and grades.
Students can regain lost marks by attending a course on life skills, which includes not less than five hours of training, with two teachers and the headmaster of the school having to determine whether the student has done well.
Teachers have welcomed the new regulations. “Indeed it is a very brave and constructive step taken by officials to rectify the conduct of misbehaving youngsters,” said Shabin Hafiz while emphasizing parents’ role in shaping the behavior of their children.
Paul Joy, headmaster of Open School at International Indian School, Jeddah, stressed the need to take punitive action against misbehaving students to maintain discipline. However, he underlined the importance of providing counseling to such unruly students to change their behavior and make them good citizens.