I have lost count of the amount of times I've read the news about secondary school students vandalizing schools and school property. In January, students from Assalam Boys Secondary School in Mangochi set fire to their school over a dietary change. In February, students at Malosa Secondary School in Zomba vandalized school property worth millions in response to a disciplinary judgement handed down to some of the students. In May, students at Walemela Secondary School in Nkhotakota district destroyed school property also over a dietary change and just last night, students at Chilumba Secondary School in Karonga went on a vandalism rampage also over a dietary change ( they were served nsima instead of rice).
I looked up cases of school vandalism in secondary schools in the past, from 2019 to 2023, the list includes, Sopa,Magawa School,Lunzu School,Blantyre,St Johnn Bosco, Chimteka,Kholoni,Kochilira,Thyolo,Bilira Secondary Schools, and more. I discovered that over 10 incidents of school vandalism were triggered by similar factors, such as harsh disciplinary actions taken against students (such as at Malosa Secondary School), dietary changes made without proper notice (i.e. St. John Bosco and Assalam Boys), and teacher misconduct (i.e. allegations of teachers being involved in sexual relationships with female students, enrollment fraud and other forms of abuse of power).
If we go back 10 years and look at school vandalism incidents, we will most certainly find that the triggers for the vandalism are essentially the same as what happens now (and it's unfortunate that for some schools, such incidents occur more than once). So, who should be held accountable? Who should be punished? Whatever happens, at the end of the day, it is only the students who bear the blame on their own . They cover the costs of the damaged property, their school gets closed, and some students end up being expelled, suspended, or arrested as a result.
But should the pupils bear this responsibility or suffer the consequences alone? To you and I, it may seem absurd that students can go to such extreme just because they were offered Nsima rather than rice. But trust me when I say that how an issue is handled can either make it go away or flare up.
Shouldn't school administration bear some of the responsibility for the rise in school vandalism? I recall back in 2019, when the then-Minister of Education, Science, and Technology, Dr Susuwele Banda, was speaking on the subject of the matter, he blamed non-governmental groups for educating children about their rights. How can we solve the problem if the persons engaged or contributing to it refuse to accept responsibility?
As much as students are to blame for school vandalism, school administration must also learn to accept its part in it. They must recognize and address their failure to implement adequate communication and conflict resolution procedures. They must assess their disciplinary forms and sanctions, as well as deal with the rot in their system in cases of fraud, corruption, and abuse of power that harm students.
Pointing fingers at each other, failing to acknowledge and accept blame will only lead to more incidents. Accountability is the first step toward problem resolution.
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