Sex party pupils survive expulsion

TWO John Tallach High School pupils have been expelled from the school boarding facilities while eight will serve punishment after they were caught having a sex party at the headmaster's house last month.

Matabeleland North Provincial Education Director Mr Jabulani Mpofu said the ministry had taken necessary measures to ensure that disciplinary action was administered on the pupils.

"They were given a severe punishment which is fit for pupils of their age and was approved by the ministry. It will be a lesson and set as an example to other pupils at the school.

"The other two pupils will have to learn commuting from home as day scholars as the disciplinary committee felt that they could not be at the school as they have been punished for bad behaviour before," said Mr Mpofu.

He said all the pupils were going through counselling sessions in a bid to reform them.

"As a reformatory measure, we have decided to take the 10 pupils for counselling because we feel that some of these pupils may be victims of abuse hence displaying that behaviour," said Mr Mpofu.

"The report proved that the allegations were true and as such, action had to be taken. They have already started the counselling sessions and we hope that this reformatory procedure will help them."

Mr Mpofu said the ministry saw it important that the pupils do not receive severe punishment like expulsion, as eight of them were first offenders.

"We could not give them punishment that is so heavy to the extent that it damaged them for life. They are still children and are growing up and we need to discipline them in such a way that we correct and reform them," he said.

"We should not write them off as at the end of the day we may have a child who cannot be saved and may end up influencing other children."

Mr Mpofu said the pupils all received a warning that they would be expelled from the school if they committed any more acts of a similar nature and any other form of disobedience.

"We called all 10 parents of the children and they were all in agreement that we discipline the children and reform them. They also agreed that if the pupils repeated offences then they will be dealt a heavier hand," said the PED.

According to sources, the headmaster's son is said to have got wind that his father was in Bulawayo for business and managed to get his house keys before organising friends to host the orgy on a Saturday night.

Five pairs of pupils in Forms 3 and 4 allegedly spent the night at the residence before alert matrons realised that some girls were missing from their hostels.