School children these days tend to pay scant attention to internal rules and regulations.

The incident on March 3, 2015, at Government High School, Nkoabang on the outskirts of Yaounde, where a stampede by students led to over 60 of them being injured and school and other property vandalised, is just one of the many cases of indiscipline in the country these days. At the root of the problem was the refusal by some students to buy discipline records in which their conduct was to be noted for better follow-up by teachers and parents.

The non-respect of school internal rules and regulations by students and pupils presents in various forms today, with some children taking liberties to come to school at any time. Granted that movement in big cities is often slowed down by incessant traffic jams; nevertheless, turning late-coming to school into a habit becomes a problem. It is one thing for students to be late for classes and show remorse and another for them to deliberately stroll as if they were going back home or to their personal offices.

While all secondary and high schools in the country have well-defined uniforms and designs for their students, some insubordinate children choose to go the other way. Either they opt for completely different designs or additions like high-heel shoes, tight-fitting trousers, skirts or revealing gowns. Linked to this is hair-do among female students. Instead of simple braiding or low cut shave like for boys, some girls, in their bid to ‘compete’ with female teachers, go for sophisticated, expensive and sometimes bizarre hair styling.

Even when students are regularly registered in schools, attending classes all the time becomes a problem. It is common these days to find ‘grown-up’ students loitering in bars, neighbourhood shops or returning home early. For those in boarding schools, leaving campus without permission is fast becoming the order of the day. It is anyone’s guess how much attention today’s students pay to aspects of school life such as participation in and conduct during the singing of the National Anthem and hoisting of the flag. Similarly, the present generation of secondary and high school students tend to see their teachers more or less as equals. Gone are those days when students fled after a chance meeting with a teacher in a bar, night club or in some forbidden place.

On the other hand, the craze for so-called modernity is having its toll on unruly students. They smuggle mobile phones and iPads into class on which they spend time chatting or watching films and pornographic material while lessons are going on. Alcohol and hard drugs on campus are also becoming the in-thing among students. Given the holy mess that is playing out in many of our schools, it urgently behoves all stakeholders – pupils, students, parents and teachers – to do something before the situation gets out of hand. With the nation’s hopes pinned on youth to ensure a smooth transition from the older generation, Cameroon’s future can only be guaranteed if entrusted to reliable and dependable future leaders. And that begins from now!