Cape Coast (C/R), March 11, GNA-Speakers at the 60th anniversary of the Aggrey Memorial A.M.E. Zion Secondary School at the weekend cautioned students against the increasing acts of indiscipline in educational institutions in the country, and strongly advised them to strive to do away with all negative behaviours and attitudes that tends to defeat their objectives.

Students were further reminded that their persistent refusal to accept corrective measures that sought to reform them, would spell the doom of the nation, because the increasing acts of indiscipline amongst them would not help the nation in her socio-economic, cultural, and spiritual development.

The speakers were, the Right Reverend Dr. Godfred Zormelo, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Aggrey Memorial A.M.E. Zion Secondary School, Dr Nathaniel Howard, lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba, and Mr. David Adom, Managing Director of AA&K Consultancy Services Limited, both old students of the Aggrey Memorial Zion Secondary School.

Rt. Rev. Dr Zormelo and Mr. Howard, who was the chairman for the occasion, drew students attention to the huge expenditures their parents and guardians were incurring on them to provide a better future and charged them to avoid peer pressure which often drift them into immoral behaviours.

Rather, they should attach great value to their studies to enable them to come out as qualified, dependable, honest, committed, God-fearing and dedicated nation builders.

Mr. David Adom who was the guest speaker, attributed the increasing indiscipline among students of today to some of the negative behaviors and attitudes portrayed by some adults and called on the country's adult population, who indulge in certain negative social practices to re-examine their behaviours and attitudes critically. This is because the behaviours and attitudes of the adults also go a long in influencing the lifestyles of children.

Mr. Adom said that indiscipline in schools exist not because teachers fail to instruct pupils and students concerning respect for authority or that parents are not concerned about their wards, but at times the very behaviour of adults influence children to behave the same way that the adults act.

"How is a child to reconcile what his teacher tells him with what he sees adults doing?." He said, for example, when he sees perhaps his own teacher, the police, the doctor or other civil employees go on strike for more pay in defiance of the law, will the youngster not conclude that rebellion is the only way to get ahead?.

He said at the moment, many young people feel that they should be their own rulers because they have been subjected to a worse influence in this generation than in any period of time.

"Each day news reports about war and nations accomplishing their aims by aggression and other underhanded means, children spend thousands of hours watching television films that glorify violence, sex, crime and sadism, and in some African films, occultist practices", Mr. Adom added.

He said, "the effects of this influence are seen in the conduct of children at school, stressing that the increase in occultist practices in our schools as reported by the media is a case in point". Mr. Adom who buttressed his address with Biblical tenets from Proverbs Chapter 4:2 20-22 which says; "I give you good counsel, turn not from my teaching...attend to what I say, bend your ear to my words; never lose sight of them but fix them in your mind; to those who find them, they are life."

He however, said that, this does imply that society cannot initiate effective measures to curb the growing indiscipline among students or reduce its growth.

Mr., Kwesi Appiah-Danquah, Headmaster of the school said the school presented 900 students for the senior secondary school certificate examination, out of the number 600 had six passes, and over 90 had five passes.

Sixty-two had four passes, 69 had three passes, 47 with two passes, twenty-six, one pass, while three failed totally. Mr. Appiah-Danquah commended old students associations, well wishers and organization that had over the years contributed in kind and in cash towards the development of the school and called for more of such assistance in the coming years. 11 March 06