Back to Index

Tidying up students- behaviour in Zimbabwe
Capulet B. Chakupeta
September 19, 2010

The culture of violence in schools is rapidly becoming one of the most disruptive forces today in Zimbabwe. This epidemic respects no socio-economic and political boundaries. It is pervasive in high density suburbs and rural areas, with a few cases in former group A schools. There seem to be 'no longer- any policy in the ministry of education that protects the students from corporal punishment administered irrespective of guidelines. The teacher induced violence that appears to be the notch for tidying students- behaviour in our schools backpedals the path of retaining the formerly highly respected education standards in the country. This worrisome state was revealed at an international conference held recently in Nairobi.

Several revelations came to light when participants from over fifteen African countries gathered for an international conference on education in Nairobi in early September. One participant shared what he experienced in Zimbabwe at St. Peter-s Mbare. According to the participant, teachers have turned themselves into monsters, leaving students grossly abused. She gave the example of rampant canning which is administered by any teacher for any offense using a piece of rubber from a car tire. The rubber piece is named "Mr. Black". The picture portrayed of the school is dismal. If it happens in Mbare, what reason does one has to think that such does not happen in other urban and rural schools?

Bearing in mind that we have two institutions loafing at their duties, I shudder to think that this scandal should go unchecked. The school as an institution falls under the Ministry of Education, with guidelines and principles. The teachers thus must abide by the guidelines against corporal punishment, unless administered by the head of the school or any teacher delegated to do so by the head. Any such action should be recorded, noting the offense, the culprit-s name, the date/day, officer administering the punishment and the nature of the punishment. Having such a record is good, but what service does it render?

The second institution is the Catholic Church running the school. As the responsible authority, the church ought to know how discipline is maintained in the school and it is my humble opinion that the church does not condone this atrocious behavior by teachers. The church I know teaches respect for human dignity and strives to promote human liberation through education and social transformation. "Liberative Education", just like liberation theology, is a vital vehicle for the promotion of the dignity of the human person, the defence of the poor and vulnerable. Liberation theology is about God and God-s love. Liberative education is about the integral formation of the human being and should be done in an environment of peace, respect, love and care.

The report from the participant is not only shocking but gives answers to the question of the violence witnessed in Zimbabwe in the past few elections. This atmosphere of violence they are bred in leads them into bizarre behaviours later in life. The political system has made use of this maladroit behaviour amongst the youth and has trained them in the so called National Youth Service, turning them into 'Green Bombers-! There have been thousands of cases of looting, abuses ranging from rape, theft, murder and double murders, especially in 2008, and one can safely point to the products of the schools and the National Youth Service. It-s clear; we are training murderers in our schools and they are being trained by a violent species of teachers, and for some even violent parents at home. What else is there to expect of such growing adults when they are idle and are offered a few goodies to go 'maim, rape, or kill-? It worries that with such a scenario, where schools are expected to inculcate behaviour of tolerance and conflict management, we have an education system that stands aloof whilst teachers are butchering students.

Have our teachers forgotten the principles of classroom management learnt in college, how to manage inappropriate behaviour among learners, behaviorally oriented classroom management strategies, counseling and performance centred approaches to teaching? Teachers are role models to the students and should retain the teaching profession to the noble profession that it has been and should be.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights charter protects the rights of children [article 5 and 27]. The same applies to the African-s Charter on Human and People-s Rights [article 5] stating that "Every individual shall have the right to the respect of the dignity inherent in a human being and to the recognition of his legal status. All forms of exploitation and degradation of man particularly slavery, slave trade, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and treatment shall be prohibited".

It would be counted folly to make any reference to this charter in Zimbabwe, considering that the government is a major culprit with so many cases of gross human abuses. Most of these are state sanctioned and perpetrators go unpunished. If the government parades and exercises such, then less blame should be given to schools and teachers for similar abuses, albeit at a lesser gravity. The problem is bigger than what meets the eye.

Finally, education is and must be done in an environment conducive to learning and teaching. Violence is out and has to be stamped out. St. Peter-s Mbare could just be a tip of the iceberg. All so called responsible authorities in schools, be they faith based, corporate, private or public should effect the role of responsible authority with all the merits it deserves. The ministry of Education needs to re-enforce the guidelines against corporal punishment. Thirdly, teachers colleges should recruit trainee teachers who are trained to form a nation, rather than the half baked 'Green Bombers- who get enrolled after raping, killing and committing all kinds of atrocities to please a few political oddballs.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP