School of war: Shoshong Senior Secondary teachers down tools after four colleagues fight with students

Terrified Shoshong Senior Secondary School teachers downed tools fearing the wrath of students who they claim have a hit list of teachers to beat up. Tension between the teachers and students exploded Monday after a student allegedly slapped a teacher in class and the teachers decided enough was enough. Apparently four teachers have already been beaten by the angry students. Since Monday the teachers have report for work every morning but headed straight for the multipurpose hall where they decided to stay until their grievances have been addressed. According to one teacher who preferred to remain anonymous they had written to the Regional Director for the central region requesting that he come and resolve their situation and were waiting for a response. “The school management seems to be happy with what’s going on here because nothing has been done about the situation. The culprits are still roaming in the school,” a teacher who preferred to be unknown to protect her job said. “We don’t feel safe at all in this school. Students here are very naughty and they skip school as well as insult teachers or beat them up but nothing is ever done about it. Recently a teacher was stabbed by a student in one such scuffle and his head bled profusely. “On Monday another teacher was slapped by a student and we decided to stay away from classes until the situation was resolved because we are afraid for our lives.” The students spend the day basking in the sun and on Wednesday some could be seen loitering in the streets during school hours. They, however, blame the teachers for their behavior. They claimed that the teachers are the ones who provoke them and also reported that the school management turned a blind eye to the situation in the school. The students who gathered around The Voice vehicle desperate to have their voices heard seemed to be competing to tell their stories of abuse. Late morning on Wednesday another group of students had gathered in front of the administration block with plackards bearing their concerns. We want education, which way should we take, rights to education, we won’t t leaders of tomorrow and how can we succeed without being taught were some of the messages they wanted to be seen by the public. Unfortunately the guard at the gate stopped them from walking out of the school into the village. The students claimed that some teachers generally don’t treat them with respect and want to instill their authority with fear. “They can just tell you that you are dirt poor and you are displaying manners you learnt from your home. We are human and we have feelings too. “One teacher insulted a student saying, ngwana yoo thogo tona o sira rraagwe (a big headed child obstructs his father) which means that the child is displaying his father’s behavior and these are the things that tick off the students. In a bid to resolve the situation, one student was suspended from school for 21 days and expelled from the student residence indefinitely after a meeting which was attended by his father and Kgosi Kgamane among others. Phenyo Motlasuping an alleged notorious form five student reportedly exchanged blows with a teacher when the teacher had snatched his cooper hat and accused him of jumping the queue for food. According to numerous reports, on the fateful day Motlasuping did not like it when the teacher refused to hand over his hat and approached the teacher to forcefully get it back and they ended up exchanging blows in a fight which one teacher allegedly captured on film. Students pulled Motlasuping from the fight while teachers held their colleague back, but somehow the angry teacher managed to break free and started landing more blows on the boy. The teacher then threw the student on a concrete paved trench before the fight was stopped again. With a bruised shoulder, Motlasuping is said to have found a sharp object and rushed for the teacher and graced his head in vengeance. Speaking to The Voice after his suspension, Motlasuping protested his punishment and said the teacher is the one who should have been suspended because the teacher started it. “He thought I was jumping the queue but I was getting a cup from a friend and besides, the school allows us to wear hats as long as we are outside of the dining hall. I won’t deny that last year I had a few misunderstandings, but when Mr. Moarabe approached me he was already angry even though I was trying to change. I even addressed him as sir. “He shouted his order at me to take off the hat even though many other students had theirs on and snatched it from my head. I politely begged him to return it because it was very cold. When another teacher came to listen to our argument he threw the hat to him and said I was trying to take the hat from him by force. “That man almost killed me. I think he wanted to crack my head against the pavement, but fortunately only my shoulder got injured. If you could see this guy’s head, you would not see any injury, but look at me,” he said taking off his torn school blazer and shirt to reveal scars on his left shoulder. Parents and villagers who were hearing about the troubled school’s woes for the first time when this reporter asked them for comment expressed their disappointment that nothing was reported to them. Lame Balemogeng’s nephew attends the school. She said; “We heard a student fought with a teacher and the teacher injured him and we wonder why the child’s parents are not called to the school to reprimand the child with the teachers. It’s not a good thing that a teacher should fight with a student. The school should call parents to for meetings regularly. Though her son did not beat a teacher, Nkhusi John said; “I don’t know why our children have to miss lessons for the transgressions of just four students and four teachers. They should just take action against the culprits and let our children go on learning. I also don’t understand why they want to keep us in the dark about this. The commander of Shoshong Police Station Superintendent was said to be on leave and when he answered his phone he said, “I’m in a meeting.” Kgosi Kgamane said he would not comment because he had not heard anything. In fact he was on his way to the school to be briefed. The headmaster was leaving the kgotla when this reporter arrived. Education Ministry Public Relations Officer Silas Sehularo said the Central District Regional Director was on his way to the school to investigate and calm the situation. “Only after investigating will he have an answer.