adminThe school authorities should therefore get the credit when their pupils are well behaved and they should equally get the flak when pupils engage in anti-social activities.
Parents of pupils at Inyathi High School in Bubi district, Matabeleland North province, the education fraternity and the nation at large should have been shocked yesterday to learn that it’s now a free-for-all at the school where pupils are reportedly engaging in sexual activities. What is more disturbing is that this is a United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) run school which should be a torch bearer when it comes to upholding moral values.
According to a story we carried yesterday, it was a free-for-all at the school between 26 August and 9 September as pupils who had remained at the school purporting to be attending holiday lessons “graduated” to married couples and indulged in sex as and when they felt like.
According to reports, when the schools closed for the second term, the majority of teachers boycotted holiday lessons thereby forcing the school authorities to hire teachers from other schools to conduct the holiday lessons.
The pupils are reported to have taken advantage of the fact that the new teachers were not familiar with the surroundings hence they could do their nocturnal activities without being noticed. According to sources 16 boys and an unknown number of girls engaged in sexual activities at the Form Two girls hostels, which were not occupied at the time.
One of the girls was reportedly given keys to the gate and main door and would occasionally open for boys to enter the girls’ hostels. Nine of the pupils were suspended on Wednesday last week following a week-long disciplinary hearing and more are likely to be suspended as investigations continue.
The Provincial Education Director for Matabeleland North, Mrs Boithatelo Mnguni, confirmed the case and said she had directed the school authorities to, within 14 days, make a decision and write suspension letters, which would be sent to parents of the affected pupils stating the offence and status of each pupil.
She said under the regulations, pupils are suspended for a period not exceeding 14 days pending finalisation of investigations, which may lead to corporal punishment, exclusion or expulsion from school as a remedy.
What happened at Inyathi High School, if the reports are true, is too ghastly to contemplate especially for parents with pupils attending the school. The school authorities should take most of the blame because from reports it seems the whole administration system has collapsed hence this free-for-all that pupils are enjoying to the detriment of their future.
The affected girls do not only risk prematurely leaving school after falling pregnant but also together with their boys, risk contracting sexually transmitted infections.
The problem at Inyathi cannot end by just punishing the wayward pupils but heads must also roll as far as administration is concerned. The education officials should get to the bottom of the problem and take corrective measures. The church has a reputation to protect and what happened at Inyathi High School is obviously portraying the Church in very bad light.
We want to implore the education officials and the UCCSA authorities to clean the mess at Inyathi High School as soon as possible so that the school can continue to execute its mandate of providing education to pupils as opposed to being a love nest.
Online Reporter