Our boys deserve better: iLIVE

26 April 2012 - 13:38 By Gavin Penkin
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Matric students from St John's College in Houghton. Picture: KEVIN SUTHERLAND
Matric students from St John's College in Houghton. Picture: KEVIN SUTHERLAND

The article written by Prof Jonathan Jansen ('A woman's world beckons', The Times, April 19) is the consequence of what is happening in our schools and society today. 

Many co-ed schools have realised that boys and girls learn differently and therefore in Grade seven separate the boys and girls into separate classes. The academic results improve for both genders and the discipline problems reduce dramatically.

Yet when the same school chooses its leadership body (councillors or prefects) they choose one boy and 10 girls.

When quizzed on why they choose so few boys, they respond that the boys are less mature and show less leadership skills at that age. The school therefore contradicts itself by separating boys and girls and then treating them as equals. Because boys mature later than girls, schools appoint girls ahead of the boys into leadership positions. 

This demoralises boys and makes them believe they are inferior to girls.

The issue starts at an even younger age.

On average boys learn to read about one year later than girls. Boys are therefore left behind in reading skills in Grade 1. The boys feel de-motivated because the girls can read and they cannot. This is not a good start to education.

Leadership is about role models. If we therefore do not have good role models for boys, we will continue to see the ongoing trend of rape, low grades, unemployment and ultimately jail.

The issue at hand is that boys are in crisis. We have robbed boys the opportunity to be boys. We don't allow them to play rough games, play outside and be a "boy". We lump them with girls and then offer activities which are more suited to the girls.

The school system is flooded with women teachers. Boys therefore find it difficult to find good male role models.

If we look at the greater South African society and look for good role models for the youth to follow, we face a major challenge. There are lots of extremely bad role models - you just have to open the newspaper to find them - but where do we find the good role models? 

Our youth need to find good role models and follow them in order to change their perception of life. Good role models will promote healthy living, safe sex, good education and high morals. But these men are hard to find.

We need to train and educate boys to be men and girls to be women. This is difficult to achieve in a co-ed environment, especially if the leaders do not recognise that boys and girls are different, not only physically, but mentally and in the way that they learn.

An excellent source of reading is the book Why Gender Matters by Dr Leonard Sax.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now