Dear Editor,

The growing number of high school students bleaching their skin should concern us as educators and stir us into urgent action.

I think it is a dereliction of duty if we as educators sit idly by and allow this cancer to take root in our schools. Institutions of learning serve a pivotal role of socialising our children and empowering them to make wise decisions. A good education is much more than academic learning, it is the fostering of the wholesome development of our children.

Skin bleaching is detrimental to the mental and physical health of a child and those of us who are charged with the responsibility of guiding and supervising our children are to be held accountable if we encourage or facilitate this cancerous practice. It can’t be right that children as young as 13 years old are allowed to openly practice bleaching at school.

Disciplinary actions must be taken against students who bleach their skin in the same way disciplinary actions are taken against students for dress code violations and other infractions. It is my view that suspension has to be among the list of consequences, especially given the undisputed fact that students who bleach directly and indirectly influence other students to bleach. It is also my experience as a dean of discipline that students who bleach are normally non-compliant with other school rules.

I know there are those liberals in our society who believe that bleaching does not affect learning and justify the act as self-expression or simply sum up bleaching as a reflection of what obtains in the wider society. However, we must not seek to confuse adults’ self-harming behaviour with that of a child, neither should we confuse self-expression with self-destruction. The latitude given to adults in decision-making can’t be the same for children in any civilised and free society. If as educators we can’t stop a child from practising bleaching while in school, I think we would have lost the battle for enforcing discipline and, by extension, the accentuation of learning.

The “don gargonisation” of students’ behaviour, which is influenced by the bleaching phenomenon, must be confronted by the education system if we are going to rescue our children and save our society. Parents need to be held more accountable for the maladaptive behaviour of their children. The school must exert its influence and authority to confront this problem, but parents need to provide greater supervision and guidance.

As an educator of over 20 years, I want to help our children, and all of whom engage in the harmful practice of bleaching, to understand that the products used to “lighten, whiten, and brighten” their skin have toxic chemicals that may damage their internal organs, blood vessels, and skin beyond repair. I implore all of us as educators, parents, and adults not to turn a blind eye to the cancerous practice of skin bleaching in our schools and wider society.

More needs to be done at the national level to eradicate the practice of bleaching. Let us do all we can to protect our children. The word is always love!

Andrè A O Wellington

Clarendon

andrewellington344@yahoo.com