Recent cases of school unrest, violence, arson, and students harming fellow students continue to raise painful questions about the emotional wellbeing of children and young people in our schools.
We believe children must be understood, guided, mentored, and nurtured; not only punished. Many behaviors being witnessed among teenagers are connected to emotional pressure, identity struggles, unmanaged failure, lack of healthy outlets, and limited mentorship spaces. Children between 9 and 17 years are still developing emotionally and psychologically. They can be impulsive, emotional, reactive, and heavily influenced by peer pressure and their environment. Failing exams should not define or destroy a child.
Behavior challenges should not only lead to punishment, but also to assessment, mentorship, and understanding. Young people must be taught:
how to deal with failure,
how to manage emotions,
how to communicate frustrations,
how to resolve conflicts,
and how to become responsible for their own actions.
Over time, many teachers and adults have increasingly stepped back from deeper mentorship roles due to fear, pressure, or changing legal and social environments. In some cases, children interpret this distance as abandonment, disconnection, or lack of care, and they may act out in search of attention, identity, belonging, or emotional release.
The law should protect children while also empowering adults and institutions to mentor, guide, correct, and support them responsibly.We encourage more parents and schools to allow children aged 9–13 and beyond to actively participate in structured sports and weekend activities outside the pressure of classrooms and boarding school environments.
Sometimes a child does not only need punishment.
Sometimes a child needs movement, mentorship, community, attention, purpose, and hope.