Why are Maldivian boys rude?

These days you'll have to listen to schoolboys at your own risk. Their insult strewn lingo is definitely not for the weak hearted. If you unwittingly walk into a group of young boys having fun on the road, it is strongly recommended you reverse your steps before they spot you. The worst mistake you can ever do is to start advising them on good behavior.

Young boys hanging around street corners and making a nuisance of themselves have become a national disaster. Their kin who make life difficult for teachers and parents are no better.

After observing the current scenario, it's difficult to imagine that once Male was a very peaceful place with young boys respecting teachers, parents and elders and helping them in their daily chores. So what has gone wrong?

The obvious truth is that this is the result of national negligence. All of us are to blame –government, teachers, religious scholars, parents, adults, all. Over the last 30 years we have done nothing, absolutely nothing, to shape the behaviors of our children.

On the other hand, we do everything to spoil them. Even before the child is born, we start collecting baby clothes, toiletries and toys. As soon as the child is born pampering with material presents begins in earnest.

We also do nothing to discipline the child when he/she misbehaves. We believe disciplining and punishing children make them lose their self confidence. We believe this leaves them weak to face competition in today's material world.

The end result of all this pampering is that by the time our 'lovely' child goes to school, he is already a spoilt brat to the teachers. Most parents find this difficult to believe and dispute the teachers, in the process teaching the boy not to respect the teachers.

Can we improve the situation? Certainly. There are many examples of government as well as NGOs and individuals successfully creating awareness among the people and changing behavior. Take the example of health and nutrition awareness. Today nearly all people avoid foods with oil and cholesterol. They also consume fruits and vegetables and avoid junk food. The number of youngsters and adults taking regular exercise has also increased.

Similarly the number of youngsters doing regular 5 times prayers is at an all time high. The number of girls wearing the buruqa has also reached about 80%. All these shows that with the right type of technique behavior can be changed.

It's not too late to save the young generation. But the time to start work is now.