Discussion about the discipline problems among the tenagers especially secondary students are regarding the smoking problems. Therefore, problem solving strategy should be focus on these students. Here are some of the ways to overcome this problems:
Firstly, the role of the parents are so important in giving more serious attention towards their children. Parents should often supervise the movements of their children whether at home or elsewhere. They must know and identify problems their children are having especially when influenced by the children’s friend. Parents should know with whom their children making friends with and thus they socialized with friends with good manner. Other than this, parents should spend more of their time daily with their children with giving more confidence, courage,establish a positive attitude towards problem they might facing, emotion and in decision making. If parents are a religious people, their children could be educated to be more on religion matter. This will helps the children or students in willing to accept their weaknesses and explore their on potential creativity in handling prblems. Parents should become a role model to their children. The Teachers and Parents Association (PIBG) must be active and always have a meeting in discussing discipline problem occurs among the student and fing a concrete conclusion in handling each matter such as smoking.
Secondly, through academic approach. This can be done with adding more activities in school. In Physical Education, student are taught how important it is to have a healthy life. Here, teachers should advise their students why smoking is not a right way to stay healthy. It can damage the lung and can cause first step towards drug abuse. In school, students are educate to follow the rules set by the authority in school based on the guide line by Ministry Of Education. Smoking is one of the offense which can cause the students to get punish if they are guilty in doing it. Some schools propose a campaign to avoid smoking among students through poster desingning or drawing, seminar and essay-writing competition. This activities suggested cab be a vital ways to educate the students and meant to play on these students mind, reminding them of what is going to happen to their bodies everytime they light up cigarettes. This also will detering potenail smoker among students from the habit. In other words, it is to help them make an educated choice not to smoke. It is important for them to see the damage smoking does to their body instead of just having someone standing there telling them it causes damage.
Thirdly, is the enforcement by the goverment. People must realise that smoking is damaging enough for the authorities to ban smoking in certain places. People who do not smoke alsa suffer from the smoke emittedby the smokers. Education and enforcement must work side by side . The Tak Nak! Campaign is the catalyst to get the whole nation to be involved in an active anti-smoking drive. Schools have been encouraged to use the Tak Nak! concept to take the campaign further, perhaps with the essay-writting or poster designing contest among students. In fact these students may have noticed on TV that a message appears at the bottom of the screen that warns people of the dangers of smoking whenever a character in a movie lights up a cigarette.
Finally, the promotional activities. The number of smoker in develop countries has decline but the number in developing countries is on the rise. In Malaysia, smokers are getting younger and younger. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, cigarettes promoters have linked smoking very closely to lifestyle, that it is part and parcel of the social scene and growing up. Therefore, kids grow up thinking that it is what they do in order to show that they have grown up and are independent. Also, many promotional activities of cigarette brands are linked to sports. So we see very healthy people who are in sports sponsored by cigarette brands. In developed countries, they are stricter with the law. Airports are non-smoking areas and entire buildings are designated non-smoking places. But in developing countries, laws of this nature are not very practiced.
Various steps can be and in fact have been implemented in handling smoking problems among secondary sudents. But the important matter is parents should play their vital role and must be responsible with the behaviour of their children. In other words, whatever steps we make but without the cooperation of the parent, it is really hard to overcome this smoking problems. Education and enforcement are two important elements in solving this problems and must work side by side.
