Mmadinare Senior students bully others, harass teachers

Ryder Gabathuse | Friday November 2, 2018 15:04

 

The parent who pleaded for anonymity revealed this week, revealed how the vicious Lemphizi rebels were expelled from boarding for their incessant failure to adhere to the school’s hostel rules.

They also had a penchant for leaving school premises without permission and sleeping out, and being involved in petty crimes, he alleged.

The worried parent indicated that the rebel group, of about 15-20 students, always gather under the banner of Lemphizi and carry out rebellious acts within the school premises to the extent of reportedly terrorising even female teachers.

“Reports we got from our children who are students at Mmadinare Senior Secondary School are that these boys harass others in the school premises.

“They push female students into store rooms and dispossess them of their valuables such as calculators and branded school bags such as Nike, Puma and others and even harass them sexually,” the worried parent poured out his heart this week.

The terror students are said to hardly attend lessons and unfortunately, the school administration has reportedly turned a blind eye on their deeds.

The parent has picked information that even female teachers do not have it easy as sometimes the unruly students make their lives difficult within the school premises, as they would simply block their passageway until they pleaded with them to pass.

The story of the Mmadinare worried parent was corroborated by a visibly terror-stricken female teacher who narrated that not long time ago, some of the unruly students had brought weapons such as knives, screw drivers, axes and others into the school and they seem to always mysteriously escape the wrath of the school administration.

Another teacher blamed a dysfunctional disciplinary committee in the school, which he said  was responsible for the state of indiscipline at Mmadinare Senior Secondary School.

“The disciplinary committee has withdrawn its functions and students are taking advantage of this void and do as they wish.

There have been fights recently within the school premises and this has created a sense of fear,” moaned another schoolteacher  with fear for her life written all over her face .

The junior teacher stressed that for the school to function properly, there has to be a disciplinary committee to address the deteriorating state of discipline in their school.

There is just a sense in the school that the school management tends to condone bullying and general disorder as all these things happen just under the noses of the school management.

When approached, Mmadinare Senior Secondary School headteacher, Sechaba Oabile was could not address questions he was asked.

He was instead adamant that those concerned parents who have taken the school issues to the newspapers should come to his school and raise the matter with him and, “I will take it from there.”

Although Oabile denied troubles dogging his school, the police have confirmed that they have on some occasions been called to attend to some issues relating to unruly students ‘treating’ or bullying others.

“The police were once called to Mmadinare Senior Secondary School to attend to reports of students bullying others and we went there to bring order and the rest of the issues that we felt were administrative were left in the hands of the school administration,” said Superintendent Victor Nlebesi, station commander for Selebi-Phikwe who also oversees Mmadinare police post.

Nlebesi further emphasised that his officers were watching the troubled school during this period when examinations are in progress so that there could be no disruptions to such processes.

Recently, at Matshekge Senior Secondary School, a teacher was badly bruised on the head by unruly students and about seven of such students were suspended after they were moved from boarding.

The students-teacher encounters have left the Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) leadership seething with anger that the government has not done enough to create a safe environment for teachers in schools.

In a recent interview, BOSETU spokesperson Edwin Maitshoko said that if unruly students are not expelled from school as per recommendations of the school authorities, it encouraged other students to beat up teachers because they will know that no stern action will follow as a result of their actions.

He was even worried that cases of violence towards teachers were on the rise because of increasing drug and substance abuse amongst students.