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Pupils spend the greater part of their time at school so the school is their second home. Teachers and other school staff therefore assume the role of parents so they are in loco parentis.

Parents expect the teachers and other supporting staff to provide love, protection and guidance to their children while at school. The school should be the safest place for every child and parents need not worry once they leave their children within the school premises.

The situation obtaining at Milton High School in Bulawayo seems to be totally different to what is expected of a school given reports of what happened last Thursday.

According to a story we carried on Saturday, senior pupils went on a bullying orgy, stoning and pummelling Form One pupils during a ceremony called a “war cry”. Ten pupils were admitted to United Bulawayo Hospitals after sustaining varying injuries following the assault.

School officials confirmed the attack saying Form Four and Six pupils went on the rampage attacking Form One pupils during the illegal war cry which was not sanctioned by the school authorities. The “war cry”, which was banned years ago, was used to rally school teams during sporting events.

According to parents, some of the victims of the attack sustained fractures. The parents said they did not expect this to happen to their children who were under the custody of the school authorities. What is clear is that authorities at Milton High School are failing to rein in their bullying pupils.

This has been the case over the years and its time the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education takes action against the school authorities. Milton High School cannot be turned into a battle field by bullies who seem to be acting with impunity.

The behaviour of these bullies brings to the fore the debate on whether or not schools should re-introduce corporal punishment. The Constitutional Court recently provisionally set aside a High Court order outlawing the caning of juveniles as a form of punishment.

Many parents are of the view that school authorities should once again be allowed to administer corporal punishment in order to instil discipline among school pupils. The delinquency and bullying being witnessed in schools is as a result of banning of corporal punishment hence the call by parents that it should be allowed.

We have already alluded to the fact that schools have become the second homes for pupils and all efforts should be directed at ensuring that the pupils are safe while at school. Those who have chosen the noble profession of teaching should take their parental role seriously. No parent expects his or her child to return home injured as a result of assault by bullies as what happened at Milton High School.

We want to implore the authorities at Milton High School to put a stop to this bullying and authorities at other schools to take preventative measures so that this does not happen at their schools. Pupils should not dread to go to school because of bullies.

Bullies have no place in our modern school system and school authorities should not hesitate to expel them.