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Cletus Mushanawani Mutare Bureau
PUPIL unrest rocked the Anglican Church-run St Mathias Tsonzo High School in Mutasa District last week after some of them cut the security fence around their hostels and attempted to march to the provincial education director’s offices in Mutare to air their grievances.

Both the Primary and Secondary Education ministry and the responsible authority confirmed the strike, which is being viewed as an inside job involving teachers who are against the headmaster, Mr Obvious Chikata.

The pupils smashed the windscreen of the headmaster’s vehicle, broke windowpanes and cut the security fence around their halls of residence.

Boys wearing masks and armed with switches invaded Advanced Level girls’ hostels and forced them to join the strike.

Among the pupils’ grievances were the issues of poor food and maladministration.

The school administration is accused of buying a second-hand kombi which had a knock within a month after its purchase.

The pupils also accused the boarding master of heavy-handedness.

They claimed he recently assaulted and injured a pupil who had to seek medical attention in Mutare.

When the strike broke out, out of the 47 teachers at the school, only four teachers were actively trying to restore order, while the deputy headmaster, Mr Edward Dumbura and the teachers on duty were nowhere to be seen.

A representative from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education from their Mutasa office and the police were there monitoring the situation, while the teachers were in the comfort of their homes.

When our Mutare Bureau arrived at the school around 10pm, police had managed to group the pupils especially girls along Mutare-Nyanga Highway.

Some of the girls who had been force-marched from the school by their male counterparts had suffered asthma attacks.

One of the pupils was injured by barbed wire and was bleeding.

The church’s diocesan registrar, Mr Ashley Mutungura, who rushed to the school, had a torrid time to organise transport to ferry the pupils that needed medical attention to a nearby clinic, while the school bus that had been tasked to carry the girls back to the school took ages to arrive, exposing them to the vagaries of weather.

When all the pupils were rounded up and ferried back to the school, they demanded food and the cooks had to be summoned from their homes to prepare it.

They managed to eat around midnight after being addressed by the church’s vicar-general, Reverend Coleus Chemhere, who had to drive for more about 50km from his base at St Werburghs just outside Mutare to attend the situation.

In his address, Rev Chemhere urged the pupils to follow proper procedures in airing their grievances.

The strike comes at a time when the Anglican Diocese of Manicaland had set a board of inquiry to look into the issues of maladministration being levelled against Mr Chitaka.

The board of inquiry was at the school last week.

Manicaland Provincial Education Director, Mr Edward Shumba, said they were closely monitoring the developments at the school.

“I was informed of the strike where the pupils are reported to have tried to march to my office here in Mutare. This happened around midnight on Friday. Two issues came as the causes of the strike.

“The pupils said electricity was cut at the school and also complained of the poor food they are being served. We have realised that there is poor communication involving all stakeholders at the school.”

He added: We will attend to the issue on Monday (today) and find a lasting solution.”

On the issue of plot to oust the headmaster, Mr Shumba said: “The headmaster was not appointed at the school yesterday. Yes, the school is under the Anglican Church, but it is Government-aided. We will continue staffing the school, unless they are saying they now want to be a trust school.”

Mr Mutungura expressed concern at the prevailing situation at the school, a reason why the church had set up a board of inquiry.

“This strike came at a time when the board of inquiry we set to look into the issues affecting St Mathias is still to present its findings. We will get to the bottom of the whole issue to find out what really triggered this strike.

“There is no smoke without fire.

“Our inquiry was centred around the headmaster’s conduct, but with what happened at the school on Friday night, we will extend the scope of the investigations,” said Mr Mutungura.

He added: “The conduct of the teachers was quite disturbing. How could they afford the luxury of remaining holed in their houses when the school was on fire? Education authorities and the police should be commended for restoring order at the school.

“Teachers are parents in loco whose responsibility is to look after the kids, but in this regard they were found wanting. They exposed the children especially girls to any form of abuse as this strike happened at night,” said Mr Mutungura.