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Chronicle Reporter

TEACHERS from Ihlathi High school in Bulawayo have apologised for savagely assaulting pupils who reported for school late last Friday as residents came to the defence of the teachers yesterday.

Bulawayo Acting Provincial Education Director Mrs Olicah Khaira said her office was investigating the matter. “We went to the school and did our investigations. It turned out that the beatings happened last Friday as it was reported. We are dealing with the matter. The teachers involved have since apologised about their conduct and said they meant well,” she said.

“The issue does not end here. We are still looking into the matter and we are yet to come up with a decisive stance. We however, want the public to know that corporal punishment was outlawed and it is now an offence to assault a pupil at school. Some parents encourage us to beat up pupils as a way of disciplining them but it is unconstitutional and therefore illegal for us to do so.”

She advised teachers and parents to employ non-violent means when disciplining children.

“Talking to pupils and taking them through guidance and counselling can work. Sometimes just hitting pupils makes them worse and even ruder. Some pupils exhibit strange behaviour because they are going through a lot of problems and have nobody to talk to,” said Mrs Khaira.

Tshabalala Residents Association chairperson, Mr Albert Ndlovu, said his community had a problem with delinquent pupils from Ihlathi High School and corporal punishment should be re-introduced.

“We have a serious crisis in Tshabalala. Older pupils now carry catapults and fight in broad daylight just near the school. The shopping centre and filling station have become a war zone as a result of some of these pupils. In such cases only corporal punishment can be used to discipline wayward pupils because word of mouth has not worked,” said Mr Ndlovu.

A resident from Tshabalala, Mr Methuseli Mpofu, said the matter of rowdy pupils had to be dealt with urgently.

“Police are called to the school every closing day. The pupils stab each other and fight. It has been reported that some pupils actually assaulted teachers at some point. This matter should be dealt with. We do not know what the root cause is, but I feel that at times it is the upbringing at home that makes some pupils exhibit such behaviour. Just last weekend, there was a parents meeting at the school and the issue of rowdy pupils was raised,” said Mr Mpofu.