Ministry cracks down on hazing

THE Ministry of Education has put an immediate stop to school outings and overnight camping trips arranged at State secondary schools to prevent hazing under the pretext of orientation for newly enrolled Grade 8 pupils.

Education Permanent Secretary Vitalis Ankama said his ministry had received numerous complaints from parents whose children had to wear refuse bags, nametags with words like “cockroach” and other derogatory descriptions written on them and had water poured on them. “Some of these schools arrange camping or sleeping out (trips) on the pretext of orientation where these practices are perpetrated,” Ankama said in a statement yesterday.”In addition, parents are forced to pay additional amounts of money at the expense of their children being abused by (school) prefects,” Ankama said.”All programmes of any school to allow learners to sleep out and camp out ostensibly for initiation purposes should be stopped with immediate effect,” Ankama wrote.”The Ministry regards the continuation of these unlawful practices in schools a serious matter.”Orientation programmes should be educational by nature and should take place under the full supervision of teachers to guard against any forms of abuse, the Permanent Secretary emphasised.According to him, his office had sent out a notice to school principals, parents and guardians on January 9, which clearly stated that initiations of any sort were a violation of the Namibian Constitution.Article 8 of the Constitution states that “the dignity of all persons shall be inviolable …no persons shall be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.”Some of these schools arrange camping or sleeping out (trips) on the pretext of orientation where these practices are perpetrated,” Ankama said in a statement yesterday.”In addition, parents are forced to pay additional amounts of money at the expense of their children being abused by (school) prefects,” Ankama said.”All programmes of any school to allow learners to sleep out and camp out ostensibly for initiation purposes should be stopped with immediate effect,” Ankama wrote.”The Ministry regards the continuation of these unlawful practices in schools a serious matter.”Orientation programmes should be educational by nature and should take place under the full supervision of teachers to guard against any forms of abuse, the Permanent Secretary emphasised.According to him, his office had sent out a notice to school principals, parents and guardians on January 9, which clearly stated that initiations of any sort were a violation of the Namibian Constitution.Article 8 of the Constitution states that “the dignity of all persons shall be inviolable …no persons shall be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.