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Cuthbert Mavheko
The scourge of moral decadence, which is sweeping across the country like a tsunami, has inflicted immeasurable damage on our culture, leaving most youths like ships without rudder, being tossed about in a raging sea of violence, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual immorality and unadulterated rebelliousness.

Today, the generality of youths in Zimbabwe spend most of their time at bottle stores, shebeens and beergardens, smoking marijuana and cocaine, and imbibing highly intoxicating substances like tototo, msombodhiya and bronco. Later, they engage in delinquent behaviour. They assault people, commit armed robberies, house breakings, gang rapes and murders.

The trend is so frightening in what it portends that it ought to shake every concerned Zimbabwean citizen out of complacency, and act now to stem the tide of juvenile lawlessness which is corroding the very moral fabric of the nation.

Today, the reality of a generation gap stares society in the face. Many parents frankly confess that they do not know their own children; that they are like strangers to them. And this gap appears to have happened overnight.

Parents may appear to be close to their children in their infancy. However, with the advent of adolescence, something tragic occurs.

Communication breaks down, alienation begins and parents suddenly find themselves at odds with their own children, who oftentimes become rowdy and uncontrollable.

Why?
While a plethora of factors, among them negative peer pressure and decadent television films, have been cited as the prime causes of delinquency among youths, it would be breathtakingly naïve to exonerate the Ministry of Education for clinging, with the tenacity of a savannah tick, onto a convoluted education system, which places undue emphasis on the technical aspects of education while paying mere lip-service to its moral side.

It is the humble submission of this pen that the aim of all education – whether at home, at work or at school — ought to be the dissemination of knowledge pertaining to morals and ethics, instead of merely funnelling information into empty minds. In respect of this, Albert Einstein, a renowned scientist, said: “It is essential that the student acquires an understanding of, and a lively feeling for values, otherwise with his specialised knowledge, he more resembles a trained dog than a harmoniously developed person.”

One should mention here that while the technical aspect of education is essential as a means of earning a living, its value diminishes if it is not sustained by a sound moral base.

There is a general consensus of opinion among some well-meaning Zimbabweans that parents have abrogated their responsibility in the education of their offspring, and that this is one of the major reasons why juvenile delinquency has shot into the stratosphere.

“The one ingredient that is missing in our education system today is the participation of parents in the education of children. Parents no longer help in the education of children; they send their children off to school at the age 5 or 6 years, then leave everything in the hands of teachers. It should not be that way- educating children is a responsibility which entails the participation and involvement of teachers and parents,” said Mrs Nobuhle Gasela, a retired primary school teacher from Tsholotsho.

Elder Nhamodzenyika Isheunesu, an Evangelical pastor and teacher, echoed similar sentiments: “The culture of rebelliousness, which has transformed our youths into rowdy, misguided rebels, has its roots in the home, where children are born and nurtured; so the solution must come from home. Parents are the child’s first educators; they have a sacred obligation to teach their offspring sound moral values and ethics that will mould them into obedient, disciplined and God-fearing individuals,” he said.

Experts aver that the training of morals must begin early in the life of a child. A small sapling can easily be manipulated to grow in the right direction, but once it becomes a mature tree, it is impossible to change it. Similarly, children can be trained when they are young. However, there comes a time when parents may no longer be able to teach them.

It is also important to mention that training a child involves such simple things as developing the habit of being clean or washing hands before eating and after using the toilet. It also involves inculcating in children the habit of respecting elders and other people’s property.

Teaching and training children require time and patience, and parents should always strive to set the right example.

Psychologists say children are natural mimics — in other words, they learn from example more than from words. If you, as a parent, want your children to be honest and well-disciplined, you must be honest and well — disciplined yourself. A child’s personality often mirrors that of his/her parents. His/her mannerisms, habits and vocabulary will often reflect those of parents, for better or worse.

If you have a habit of using vulgar language, why should you be shocked when you hear your child using the same language with the children in the neighbourhood? And if you indulge in extra-marital affairs, would you be morally justified to reprimand your daughter when she gets pregnant as a teenager for instance? Or your teenage son when he causes somebody else’s daughter to get pregnant? In instilling character, morals and ethics in children, parental example is of paramount importance.

The home or family unit is an indispensable element in the instilling of character, ethics and moral values in children. Charity begins at home, says an ancient English adage.

The Holy Bible consistently stresses the parental role in the teaching of morals and ethics to children. In respect of this, Deuteronomy 11: 19 says: “You shall teach your children when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lay down and when you rise up (Deuteronomy 11:19, New King James Version).”

This instruction is repeated in a plethora of Scriptures, including Proverbs 22:6, which says: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

It is worth noting that the Book of Proverbs is primarily an instruction manual, written by a wise, God-fearing father to his children. The book contains a goldmine of instructions that parents can use to instil sound moral values and ethics in their children.

Since time immemorial, intellectual thinkers and philosophers have understood that the development and prosperity of nations is premised on the education of youths. Concerning this, the great philosopher Aristotle said: “The fate of empires depends on the education of youths”.

As I conclude this discourse, I must point out that education will not serve any meaningful purpose in the socio-economic and political evolution of a nation if it is limited and confined to technical information only. To this end, there is need for our education system to place more emphasis on the dissemination of knowledge pertaining to morals and ethics.

– Cuthbert Mavheko is a freelance journalist based in Bulawayo. He has contributed articles and short-stories to the Chronicle, Sunday News and various other publications since 1995. His contact details are as follows: Mobile phone 0773 963 448, email [email protected]