Online Reporter
IT started with an argument. It escalated into a full-blown stoning spree that turned Cowdray Park Secondary School into a battlefield.
Five uniformed boys, who should have been in class instead chose chaos. They bombarded a classroom with rocks, smashing 10 windows and leaving teachers and pupils ducking for their lives.
One teacher was forced to flee his own office while learners scrambled for cover like victims in a war zone. This is not just a story of broken windows.
It is a grim reflection of how deep-rooted juvenile delinquency is festering in our communities.
The time for softly-spoken warnings is over. We cannot afford to treat this incident as just another “boys will be boys” episode. These were not harmless pranksters.
These were schoolchildren turned thugs, armed with stones, vengeance and zero regard for authority. And let us be clear.
This was not a random act. These boys were reportedly chasing others over a petty dispute, and when they failed to catch them, they vented their rage on school property.
This is criminal behaviour and should be treated as such.
If a mob of adults had done the same, the nation would be in an uproar. But because these are teens, we brush it off. That must stop.
Reports say these same boys are well known in the community. They bully other pupils, beat them for allegedly snatching their girlfriends, and abuse drugs. So, we must ask: where are the parents? Where is the discipline? What values are being taught at home?
Parents cannot outsource morality and expect schools to perform miracles. Teachers are not prison guards. Schools are meant to shape futures, not fend off flying bricks and violent gang culture.
And while we are at it, let us not pretend this is an isolated incident. Bulawayo, like many urban centres, is grappling with a generation of young people who are increasingly aggressive, anti-social and undisciplined. The streets have their own laws and sadly, many of our children are following them. The gang culture, the obsession with territory, girlfriends and street status is infiltrating schoolyards. If we do not step in, we are grooming a generation of jailbirds.
The police were right to arrest one of the culprits.
But arrests alone will not solve this. Schools need support. We need counsellors, youth outreach officers and community involvement. And most importantly, we need tough love from parents.
Let us be clear. This is not just a Cowdray Park problem.
This is a warning shot for every school, every parent and every policymaker. Let us act now.
Discipline starts at home, is reinforced in schools, and must be backed by real consequences.
If we fail to draw the line, we are surrendering our children to a future of violence, crime and wasted potential.
Enough is enough. Stone by stone, the walls of our education system are being battered. It is time to rebuild with structure, with discipline and with zero tolerance for delinquency.
