by Mphatso Nkuonera
Ministry of Education is reviewing the School Rules and Regulations policy following the continued acts of violence by students in the country’s secondary schools.
Minister of Education, Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima says they will empower the new policy to be deterrent to further acts of vandalism.
“The policy will be punitive enough and will bar such ill-mannered students from being perpetrators of vandalism in public schools. We have lost teaching and learning materials wealth billions of kwachas in the nine secondary schools which have suffered hugely due to riots,” she explained.
Ministry of Education is reviewing the School Rules and Regulations policy following the continued acts of violence by students in the country’s secondary schools
Wirima was speaking on Tuesday afternoon in Mchinji following the riots that occurred at Kamwanya Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) on Sunday which left thirteen students with minor injuries.
“I came to see the impact of the vandalism for myself. It’s a sorry sight that has proven to be one of the worst riots and very retrogressive.
“Where is dialogue when such violence occured? Where is humanity when such barbaric acts were being orchestrated by them?” She wondered.
“Let me remind students across the country that ‘Human Rights’ go with responsibility, otherwise you impinge on other people’s rights too,” added Wirima.
The Minister also directed that teaching and learning should start at the school as authorities continue assessing the damage caused in order to establish the actual value of the property destroyed.
In conclusion, she called upon parents and guardians, faith community, local leaders and traditional leaders to jointly fight against school property damage through riots that could be best handled through dialoguing.
Ephraim Msanide, a Form 4 monitor who solely faced the squad of gangsters implored on other students at the school not to indulge in such destructive and criminal conducts that would unfairly ruin their future.
“We used to have a library now it’s only ashes remaining, we have no text-books to read and yet exams are just a few months away from now. This situation is a great set back to good performance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) has also condemned the reprehensible act of vandalism in schools and has advocated for stringent measures to hold perpetrators accountable, including criminal persecution, financial restitution for damages, and expulsion from public institutions.
Malosa, St Don Bosco, Ntcheu, Khola and Robert Blake are some of the many schools that have been vandalised within a short period of time.
