Ineffectiveness of punishing students

Expelling irresponsible students as a form of punishment does not seem to be effective, according to Hoor Al-Mutairi, a high achieving high school student, who argued in an interview with Kuwait Times against this continuing form of punishment, saying it does not address the root causes of such students’ behaviors.

Because educating the youth is fundamental for securing future progress, Kuwait Times listened to high school students to reinforce the importance of their opinions and the problems that hinder their progress. One of the primary challenges that students face during their in-class education experience is the negative learning environment created by their peers, which never seems to come to an end due to the ineffective forms of punishment that schools apply.

“It is clear that these students may already have a lack of interest in attending school and engaging in learning. For them, being expelled does nothing of the supposed disciplinary cause, but is rather considered a relief from adhering to school rules and focusing on their education. In fact, some of them take pride in it!” explained Mutairi.

This was also highlighted by Al Kawther Ghloum, also a high achieving high school student, who said expelling students may further push them towards disengagement and rebellion. “Rather than punishing students by ineffective forms of punishment such as expelling them for a few days, calling their parents, deducting their marks or trying to embarrass them by keeping them standing outside the classroom, our schools must provide mental and psychological support for all students and teachers,” she said.

“Providing a serious and dedicated mental healthcare department in school can fix many problems in our educational experience, because some students are actually not bad or irresponsible, but they just need help to realize their potential in life. Once they discover it, they will take school more seriously and respect their peers’ rights for proper education during school time,” Al Kawther added, emphasizing on the importance of providing mental healthcare at schools to create a profound positive impact while addressing students’ misbehavior at school.