Importance of teaching social behaviour in schools and universities

By Winnerose Wairimu Kariuki. Winnerose is a teacher at Bridge International Academy in Chaka Nyeri, Kenya.

Research conducted by National AIDS Control shows that the majority of the Kenyan population contracting AIDS and STIs are young adults of ages 10-25. This shows that many young people are at risk of extinction if these numbers increase higher than they are currently.

Students encounter other different challenges in their daily life that are hard to resolve on their own. It’s confirmed that scholars lack the knowledge to settle their personal conflicts.

I strongly agree with these findings. There are many times when one come across a child in great distress. The student may intend to commit suicide to solve their puzzling experiences. The challenges might be too hard for them to bear.

It is the responsibility of tutors, who in real sense spend more time with the tutees than anyone else, to aid these learnees in all ways possible. Tutees strain with problems and their only help is from the teachers or school faculty.

Cases of immorality amongst learners have become rampant nowadays. Indiscipline cases are getting out of hand. Social skills such as maturity, HIV/AIDS and STIs, should be taught to university and college students. This will help the learners to become responsible at home, school and their community at range. The skills will equip the learners with solutions to the many puzzling circumstances they may engage in.

Although it is a brilliant idea to teach the students about social behaviour, it has its negativity. Learners are as cunning as foxes, so most of them will tend to test the waters (whatever they have learnt/been taught). They usually forget that curiosity killed the cat. In return, they will end up practicing the DO and the DONTS they learn newly in their institutions. This is a great limitation as it could seem that teachers are the ones teaching immorality in the schools.

Technology came with goodies and baddies. Learners all over the world are now exposed to and can easily access internet services .Be it in their phones, computers or any electronic gadget. They ellicit bundles and bundles of vicious information that set their head ablaze. They may even tend to share that information with their allies making things far much worse. It can expose learners to things that are ungodly and unacceptable. This makes them again practice to be aware of the end product.

Parents,on the other hand, have become so busy with various occupations. They rarely have adequate time to sit, talk and revolutionize things that affect their children. Hence, they leave their kids under the care of care givers such babysitters and teachers. This affects the closeness of parents to their children.

All that said and done, bring to light the essence od teaching social skills in learning institutions. Age grouping should be observed to teach pupils their respective topics.

Tutors should be given strategic time to guide and counsel the scholars while they are in schools. They should give motivational talks to those tutees who need them the most. Some parents can’t afford the counselling fee charged by the professional counsellors, so when need be, tutors should be at the disposal to help as much as they can.

Nevertheless, we might find that many schools don’t have many or any counselling teachers. This is a great challenge to achieving the goal. The government should emphasis guidance and counselling units for teachers in teacher training institutes. This way teachers will be equipped and be in a position to help learners in times of crisis.

In a nutshell, I would recommend education on social behaviour alongside curriculum lessons to be introduced. This will help curb irresponsible behaviours witnessed lately and also help learners concentrate well in their studies. It’s evident that too much studying made Tom a dull boy and we don’t want that for our learners. This should open the teachers’ mindsets to affirm the importance of life skills education in primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education. A tree grows straight depending on how it was tendered while at a young stage. Young learnees will have better lives in future if it’s directed earlier enough. It will be a great pleasure when this project becomes a reality.

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