There is no gainsaying that children are the gift of God. However, children can be likened to fire. For fire is a good servant but a bad master. It’s not uncommon these days to see the youth in the North, especially Tamale, misconducting themselves. As a predominantly Muslim community revered by all, social vices are rife in the metropolis.
There is no smoke without fire as the maxim tells us. Meaning something is wrong somewhere. The causes of these social and moral challenges are not only varied but diverse.
Lack of parental control is one of the factors contributing to moral decadence. In the good old days, up North, parents and guardians had absolute control over their children. Thus, children were brought up the way the society indeed anticipated. Similarly, in a close-knit society in the past, a child was everyone’s. This implies, an adult could correct a child without being perceived wicked or face the music of human rights. Today, most parents rest on their oars and children are left untamed.
Another body that has failed in its fight against immorality is the religious body. It used to be the religious body’s call and advice that shaped lives of people. The traditional leaders also played significant roles in child upbringing. Nowadays, nobody pays heed to either the religion or the tradition. Religious sermons fall on deaf ears. Notwithstanding, these two bodies still stick to their tenets some, however, see them as monotonous preachers. This trend of moral degeneration seems people lose the sense of the Supreme Being or their object of worship.
Institutions of learning such as schools where discipline reigned supreme in the past have now had their hard-earned reputation thrown to the dogs. It is in this vein, undoubtedly, there have currently been poor performances in the WASSCE nationwide. For instance, in the 2014 WASSCE results 72% of students failed though it was better than 2013 which recorded 81% failure. Statistics also indicates that in 2013 WASSCE, Presby Boys SHS and Opoku Ware SHS in Southern Ghana scored 94% and 98% respectively in six to eight subjects whereas in Northern Region, Tamale Senior High School scored 53%, Ghana Senior High School scored 34% and Northern School of Business recorded 42%. Nationally, the overall average score was 39%. In Northern Region, 20% of students could continue after SHS, Upper East Region 39% and Upper West Region 43%.
Schools in those days though guided by code of conduct or ethics yet they tremendously complemented the upbringing of children at home by adopting stringent measures like corporal punishment. The biblical saying “Spare the rod and spoil the child”- proverbs 13:24 was applied necessarily and sparingly.
Moreover, modernity or cultural infiltration is the last stroke that breaks the camel’s back. The youth of today copy blindly foreign cultures alien to them. For instance, youth groups known as “Ghettos” spring up day in, day out. These social groups especially in the North are characterized by sexual exploitations, drunkenness, stealing, indecent language and dress code, smoking of cannabis, cyber fraud, just to mention but a few. Of late in broad day light youths, mainly students, between ages fifteen and thirty smoke cannabis “wee” whilst making loose and unguarded statements without recourse to norms and laws.
The effects of course are conspicuously clear. They include social vices such as armed robbery, murder, chaos and anarchy, rape and defilement, teenage pregnancies, among others.
It’s, therefore, about time we all took our future leaders’ destiny seriously or else posterity will not forgive us!
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