Founders High demotes bully prefects

TWO prefects at Founders High School in Bulawayo allegedly tortured Form One pupils in the middle of the night as part of the initiation rite. Form One pupils are sometimes bullied by seniors to "welcome them to new schools."

The victims, sources at the school who cannot be named for professional reasons, said sustained swollen knees after their seniors forced them to crawl on a hard surface for hours.

"They woke them up in the middle of the night and started abusing them. They said they were instilling discipline in the juniors," said a source.

The two Form Six prefects are said to have been sharing a dormitory with the juniors when the bullying incident occurred on Tuesday last week. The number of Form One pupils who were bullied could not be established yesterday.

The bullying incident comes barely a week after three Form Six pupils at Hamilton High School were arrested for bullying three Form Five new comers claiming that it was an "initiation" to the school.

Bulawayo acting Provincial Education Director Mrs Olicah Kaira said on Tuesday that she was not aware of the Founders High School bullying case.

"We have not heard about it. Thank you for informing us. We are going to investigate the case," said Mrs Kaira.

She said the Ministry was still investigating the Hamilton High School bullying incident. However, a source privy to developments at Founders High School said the two bullies were demoted from their positions as prefects.

Last year, Marist Brothers Secondary School in Dete, Hwange District, excluded 16 Form Four pupils who ganged up to torture Form Two boys at the school.