A week of mayhem at Kgari Sechele
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday June 24, 2016 16:57
Briefing emergency meeting attendants on the incident yesterday morning, the school headmaster Lapologang Kolagano said punishment of one unruly student led to the fracas that made them abandon an examination. “Last week Wednesday a student shot another with a catapult before fleeing the school only to come back the following day. Some teachers tried to take him to the staff room and he agreed to go with the. But as they left the class, he picked up stones and threw them at the teachers and as they ran away, he fled the scene,” he said.
Kolagano said the student then returned to the school this Wednesday whereupon he was summoned to the staff room where they spoke to him before punishing him. “After being punished, he broke all lights and mirrors of one teacher’s car. He then grab a space which he used to hit the grounds man. He then went on to hit the teacher who had punished with him the spade,” he said.
The headmaster said the student was then joined by others in throwing stones at teachers who ran and hid at the staffroom. He said they broke windows of eight offices before running away as the police were on their way. He said they then decided to release all the students ordering them to bring their parents. Students who did not bring parents were not allowed into the school and roamed by the gate as the meeting progressed.
Kolagono went to state that the 125 teachers in their school were terrified and were scared of the 1,645 students. He called on parents to advise their children against joining gangs as it never ends well for them. He said some students have been arrested and will be punished accordingly.
Kolagano revealed yet another horrific incident which left one student fighting for his life after he was stabbed with a knife that reached his lungs.
“On Tuesday a teacher approached two students who were basking in the sun instead of being in class.
He tried to get them to class only for one of the students to start beating him up. Another student tried to stop him, but he was also attacked and stabbed with a knife. He said the teachers were scared and no teacher will ever want to work at the school.
He called on parents to desist from not telling the teachers the truth about their children’s behaviour and urged them to seek help from relatives, Dikgosi and other community leaders to help mould their children’s behaviour. He said some of those in police custody were previously taken for a retreat to try mould them, but they are still stuck with notoriety.
He said he was disappointed that after they moved from position 28 to 18, students will be motivated to do better. Kolagano also said one parent came to report that a man tried to stab her child with a knife because he did not pay the money for the marijuana he gave him to sell at school.
Regional director for Ministry of Education and Skills Development Kweneng Region, Benson Rauwe urged the students to desist from being unruly as it makes it difficult for teachers. He said they do not condone the behaviour and stated that they were going to punish all those found in the wrong after investigations.
Officer commanding superintendent Kevin Mookodi labelled Kgari Sechele students as the most problematic lot in the village when it comes to crime committed in the village. “Whether schools are open or not, students from this school always give us a problem since my arrival here in 2013. Kgari Sechele students are always in our cells after committing crimes such as fighting at bars,” he said. Mookodi warned the students that at their age they can be punished by amongst other things being whipped on their bare buttocks.
He said being students will not save those that will be charged with malicious damage to property.
He said they have five students in their custody and are expecting to make more arrests as investigations continue. Member of Parliament for Molepolole North, Tlamelo Mmatli said the situation was very worrisome and called all to lean on God.
“Satan is in control, we should all move closer to God and hope the situation improves,” he said, adding that as the name Kgari Sechele suggests, the school belongs to all Bakwena hence the need for all stakeholders to play their part. For his part, Kgosi Timothy Gaealafe said the problem does not start at senior school, but rather from primary schools through junior schools.
“We should start monitoring the situation from that level. We have held over six meetings in this school on the same topic this year but, nothing has changed,” he said. Gaealafe said the behaviour was unwelcome and they would punish those found to be wrong.
Parents also rose to call on each other to be effectively involved in their children’s education.
They called for severe punishment of unruly students including dismissals so that only those who are serious could be allowed to study in peace.