Shaved heads ≠ discipline

• JACKIE ASHEEKEIN light of the national tragedy that thousands of learners fail the standardised Grade 10 and 12 exams, schools like St Boniface and Negumbo with high scoring learners, should be congratulated.

However, while there is much to be applauded, there are some things that needle at my conscience.

In my opinion educational success depends on a comprehensive and relevant curriculum, quality/commitment of the teachers and administrators, sufficient supplies/equipment/facilities, positive parent/community participation and a stimulating school atmosphere. Choice of hairstyle and skirt lengths of girls, standing in assembly lines outside in the cold, or blocking parental access to dorms have nothing whatsoever to do with success in learning and are not indicators of ‘discipline’ in any institution. Rather, they are petty barriers which may suppress learners’ desire to achieve and squash their love of learning.

The series of articles published about the remarkable St Boniface and Negumbo (my niece attends the latter!) tell great stories that needed to be heard. I stand corrected if I read the stories incorrectly or have taken points out of context.

I read that at St Boniface, the principal denies prospective parents the right to view the hostels because “it has always been done that way.” I also read that at both schools, the way the female learners wear their hair and skirts is regulated; cellphones are not allowed, and learners must line up outside in the dark, cold pre-dawn hours for assembly. Apparently these are some of the reasons these two schools are seen to have good discipline.

However, I submit that there are learners in Namibia who are not subjected to any of these rules, and yet they score higher than those in the two schools mentioned. Likewise, there are learners enduring even more draconian rules who perform poorer than those in St Boniface and Negumbo.

Being ‘strict’ is subjective; my idea of what is strict is not necessarily yours. And, I remain unconvinced that shaved girls’ heads = strict discipline = high test scores.

Maintaining discipline should not be the prime focus of any educational institution. Rules, systems, processes and structures are tools that assist with learning and growth. You would not use a hammer to unscrew a nail or a screwdriver to dig a ditch. Choosing the right tool to get the job done is important.

I read that a number of the girls in Negumbo secondary school shave their heads. Indeed, one of my adult nieces told me that her grandmother routinely shaved her head before sending her back to school. She felt humiliated, stripped down and uncomfortable. How much do you learn when you feel uncomfortable?

In spite of media articles to the contrary, I feel that the lack of personal freedom for girls to choose their own hairstyles disempowers young women. History relates many tragic stories of women’s heads being forced-shaved e.g. the Nazi death camps; punishments for collaborators, adulterers and prostitutes; or treatment for lice, etc. The challenge is how to better educate the learners and raise test scores; the solution lies much deeper than just shaving a girl’s hair.

All of our learners need books, school supplies, computer labs, and better classrooms. Our teachers need higher salaries, better housing and free qualification upgrades. Our school administrators need greater respect, more parent support, working office equipment; supportive ministry supervisors and a variety of additional training opportunities. These are important keys to the success in education at any school.

Schools should be centres of progressive enlightenment, not dead-end thinking. This country is about to celebrate 25 years of independence precisely because the majority of Namibians rejected doing things just because “they had always been done that way”.

Schools should encourage students to ask questions and challenge limits. Instead, I get the sense that independent thinking is discouraged in ‘disciplined’ schools. History tells us that great performers like Mozart and Einstein annoyed their teachers with questions at school. Should they have been forced to be quiet to show that they are disciplined?

There was a time when people thought that beating a child in school made them better learners. We now know that this inhumane thinking actually has the opposite effect on students.

Of course, knowing maths, languages, writing, history and science are required. But knowing how to make choices, manage conflict, resist negative peer pressure, mitigate mistakes, overcome barriers, handle disappointment, and interpret society is equally important.

We need our girl children not to demurely accept being regimented, abused, or manipulated. In this context, focusing on what girls wear or do as a measurement of the level of discipline in a school sends a sexist message. Why girls only? Why are boys exempted from being a part of what indicates discipline in a school? Young boys with rising levels of testosterone are unstable and rowdy. Schools may just as well give them medicine to suppress their pituitary glands and libidos? For certain, drugged students will make the school more ‘disciplined.’ But of course, this is as absurd as believing that the hair and clothing of girls lead to low test scores.

The goal of schooling is learning. We must not elevate the means and processes we use to reach a goal with the importance of the goal itself.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.