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The Mukaro Girls High saga: Are the girls at that school well protected
Petronell Nyamapfene
June 12, 2012

The story of the Mukaro Girls School which was reported in the Herald of the 8 June 2012 raised a lot of issues on whether these children are well protected at that school. According to the Herald 700 girls walked 20km from their school to Mupandawana Growth point to the District Education Office to protest against water problems and poor food. The 20km journey started at 2 am with the girls reaching Mupandawana at 6:00 in the morning. The Herald reported that the school authorities were only stunned when they woke up to find the dormitories deserted.

The story as reported raises a number of questions which the parents- body, the schools- authority, the government and any concerned community member should ask and be given satisfactory answers.

Where were the matrons and teachers on duty?

When 700 pupils sneak there is bound to be commotion or even some noises to the extent that the matrons and the Boarding master depending on the setup should have heard and woke up .If one assumes that they were fast asleep but at least one of them should have heard the noise .If these matrons are there how far are their houses from the girls dormitories? Besides the matrons, teachers in boarding schools usually have roasters to check if all is well in the school. Didn-t the teachers on duty get to know about this plot in one way or the other? Besides the teachers on duty, how far are the teachers- houses from the girls dormitories and can 700 people sneak with no authority hearing any noises?

Are there security guards at the school and where were they?

The general setup of any school or boarding school is that there are security guards at all entrances whose role is to monitor any movements to and from school. These generally monitor the visitors who come to the school and students movements and usually most students who pass these entrances should have a valid pass that has been duly authorized by those in authorities. Due to the vulnerability of school children, the security system should be 24 hours. Looking at this saga, the question is where there some guards at this school? Assuming that the students did not use the generally accepted entrances, couldn-t the guards see that something was wrong and hence notice the departure of at least some of the students.

Who is in charge and what are their roles and responsibilities?

The issues raised above are a clear sign that all is not well at the school. In view of the level of child sexual abuse that is prevailing in the country, the girls at Mukaro are at high risk. According to the Herald report the children had spent the previous day not attending lessons as they were highlighting their grievances and due to this background the security at the school should have been on high alert if the authorities care for the protection of the children in question. If 00 children were missing from school for four hours without anyone in authority noticing then somebody at the school is not doing the job well and this calls for the need to deal with the whole administration on the basis of failure to protect the children who have been entrusted in their care. Does the school have a Schools Development Council and do they monitor the quality of services and standards of living at the school in line with the fees being charged. Further does the SDC have time to put the administration to account?

How are problems solved at that school and what is the involvement of the parents and children?

The students- grievances were centered on the important issues of water and food which are fundamental to their development and growth an authorities they are fundamental. According to the Herald report one pupil was quoted saying that water was a problem at the school and they sometimes go for weeks without water and in this particular they last had water on Sunday and the march to Mupandawana was on Thursday which is about five days without water. Looking at the fact that this is a girls school, they require water for drinking and sanitary needs and to be precise girls menstruate and they require water in their toilets for their hygienic needs. Does the School development Committee have structures to enable children to air the views and are these structures known and clear.

To what extent are our children protected from all forms of abuse at the school in view of the issues highlighted above?

The security at the school is a cause for concern especially if 700 students can sneak out for four hours without anyone seeing. It follows that if a group of rapists sneaks in the school they can rape the girls and the authorities can only notice the next day. The other thing is looking at how our communities have become bad, any of the teachers or member of staff can associate improperly with the students and it can take long before it is noted. The march to Mupandawana was in June and with a cold that is exposing the children .If children have to go to government for their grievances to be heard to what extend are their views being taken into account at that school.

A call to action: Parents, Children, SDC and the government.

Parents should not just pay school fees but should assess and raise concerns about the standards of the schools where their children are learning. There is need for parents to listen to complains made by their children and raise the same to those in authority.

The school development Council and the administration should be accountable to the parents and children and should ensure that the money being paid by parents is being used for the development of the school. The children should demand to have structures of ensuring that they raise their grievances to the SDC and to the parents- body.

The Government should regularly monitor the protection of children in the schools and also consider the development of child protection policies whose implementation they should also monitor.

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