School Heads and Teachers discuss underlying factors to explain this ugly phenomenon that threatens the sanctity of schools

There are several underlying circumstances that lead to students attacking teachers in schools, some School Heads and teachers have said. Although they admit that what students are doing is wrong, they do not put the blame solely on students, but accept some of the blame.

One School Head argued there is no how a school can function well when the management distances itself from anything to do with students. A Headmaster’s presence at feeding areas and classrooms always sends students in the right direction. A school with a not so firm leadership style always deals with issues of indiscipline. “I have been in the teaching fraternity for many years, I know what I am talking about, there is no such thing as ‘poo ya sekwele’ when the school is determined to deal sternly with a group of unruly children, the nonsense stops,” he said.The school administrator noted that teachers are often beaten because they are not protected at the top by School Heads. A teacher will solely carry the burden of instilling discipline on students and have no back up from the high office.

One teacher agreed, saying there was need for school leaders to keep sharing with students what is expected of them on a daily basis - not only reading out rules when students have misbehaved, familiarising children with what is wrong and right and showing them affection also comes in handy. He said in some cases, teachers cross the boundaries to date students yet they expect to be respected by the same student community. “How does a child respect you when you are constantly pulling your pants down for them? Sexing their teachers is all they see during lessons’ time,” he said. The worried teacher added that studentteacher relationships were also some of the reasons why a ‘school bully’ would attack a teacher. “Beautiful girls are always ‘reserved’ for bullies and the concerned teachers use their position snatch the girl. The rejected student then resorts to violence realising that they have no financial means to compete with the teacher,” the teacher revealed, adding that it was another reason school boys would sexually harass female teachers. “They are made to accept as a norm that there is nothing wrong with wooing and dating a teacher,” he added. Teachers also shared that students were in the past whipped for misbehaving but now there are strict measures in place to protect students even against misdemeanours. For this reason, students have no fear of crossing boundaries.“Nowadays there is need to determine the diameter of a stick and also there is need for the presence of Head of Department (HOD) or School Head before a teacher can punish a student. It is thus difficult to punish a student no matter what they have done, because one has to go through such tedious processes,” said the teacher.Another School Head shared that it should be noted that students are equally under pressure. Covid-19 has psychologically impacted on children yet they continue going to school.

She said that students are under pressure and not sure what to expect, they are forced to grasp all they are being taught and prepare for examinations. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Basic Education spokesperson Oarabile Phefo said they are deeply concerned by the abuse in schools and vowed to get to the bottom of it all. He said they will be meeting cabinet this Wednesday to address the issue.

Minister responsible for Basic Education Fidelis Molao also issued a statement last week saying they are deeply concerned by the increasing number of incidents of violence in schools as they are becoming more frequent.He also advised that bystanders should desist from taking videos of such and posting them on social media rather than calling for immediate help. He assured that they would invoke relevant disciplinary processes for appropriate sanctions to be meted to those at fault. One assault video that went viral on social media is that of a Moshupa senior schoolteacher being attacked by students. The teacher went on to post pictures of his torn trousers and injuries on Facebook, lamenting that he lost his expensive shoes during the struggle.Asked for comment, the teacher said he was not comfortable discussing the matter any further. “My family has been through a lot of trauma and I would rather lie low for their sake,” he said.