Essay On Student Unrest

Student Unrest Essay

“A hot temper leaps o’er a cold decree” – Shakespeare

The phrase student unrest usually refers to demonstrations, the occupation of campus buildings and even some minor riots by students. It is shown in schools in the form of riots, demonstrations, protests, costs, harassment, etc. Sometimes it becomes a disturbing trend in the socio-political life of the society. It is essential that the unrest of students be checked before it reaches an alarming level and it poses a great threat to our social development. Student unrest is not a peculiar problem, it also occurs in Europe and America. However, in Advanced Countries, the unrest of students is not conducted in a violent manner. Students protest using means such as display posters, peaceful rallies and letters to parliament. Students in Ghana need to learn how to protest in a non-violent manner. Students must be free to exercise their rights, but they must not take things too far. Students are our leaders of tomorrow, So they must be disciplined so that they will continue on that path when they grow.

The universal unrest among youth in general and students, in particular, is becoming one of the most striking features of modern society. The strikes and agitations, processions and demonstrations, gheraos and defiance of authority are actually the expressions of the unrest in the minds of students.
Unrest among the youth is a thing which is neither unnatural not undesirable. Youth, by virtue of its mental and emotional makeup, is impulsive and excitable, restive and impatient. Shakespeare considered youth as hot, bold and wild.

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There is nothing dangerous in unrest by itself. In fact, unrest paves the way for progress. It stands for dynamism. It is the unrest in the minds of men that have generated revolutions in the world. It gives birth to new ideas and ideals which have a permanent impression on the minds of the people. As such students unrest should be welcome to us as teachers, parents, and statesmen. However, the unrest among students today has assumed a dangerous proportion. The students defy law and order and disobey even their parents. The damage and destroy public property. They burn buses and government buildings and detain railway trains. The appeals of teachers, the lathis teargas and even the bullets of the police do not frighten them. As a result, colleges and universities are closed for an indefinite period.

The student unrest is a problem of great magnitude. There are scholars who believe that the unrest in the student community is a part of the general unrest in the country and the world. Today, India is passing through a period of great stress and strain, reconstruction and transformation. The old order and values have collapsed and a new order is taking its place. Standing between two worlds, one dead and other yet to be born, the students view and review the various developments in the country. The modern student is not a weak, docile and submissive creature. He scrutinizes everything with a critical mind. He feels unhappy and discontented in a setup where crooks and dishonest people thrive. All these things create unrest in the minds of students.