Ministry of Education confirms suspension of learner over bullying

The Ministry of Education has revealed that the boy who flogged a fellow learner in a video circulating on social media has been suspended from school as a penalty for bullying. Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Kelvin Mambwe says the Ministry…

The Ministry of Education has revealed that the boy who flogged a fellow learner in a video circulating on social media has been suspended from school as a penalty for bullying.

Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Kelvin Mambwe says the Ministry has taken note of the incident that occurred in one of the schools in Lusaka and has acted to ensure that both learners involved are also counselled.

He has explained that while the perpetrator has been suspended, both learners are undergoing counseling for two weeks in order to reconcile them before returning to school.

Speaking to journalists in Lusaka, Dr Mambwe stressed that the Ministry’s focus was to ensure that children were learning in safe environments, adding that safeguarding guidelines had been developed and distributed to all schools.

He urged school authorities to familiarise with the guidelines in order to enhance the safety of children in schools.

“Our schools are a place for learning and growth. So when a child is involved in bullying the first step that we take is to counsel that child and the victim for example so that we rehabilitate them, we reform them to become better citizens and in addition of course the perpetrator is given sanctions and these sanctions can range from suspension and expulsion depending on the nature of offence committed”, he explained.

Dr Mambwe further noted that parents have a role to play in raising children in line with societal values, citing another viral video of a child abusing others while an adult filmed and laughed as an example of irresponsible parenting.

He advised parents to take keen interest in their children’s school experiences, urging them to pay attention to signs of bullying, such as withdrawal, isolation, or absenteeism, engaging with them to bring such issues to the attention of school authorities.

He underscored that education was a partnership between government and parents, with both sides responsible for the growth and wellbeing of children.

Dr Mambwe stressed that the incident was isolated and should not be taken as a reflection of the entire education system or its values, further assuring the public that corrective measures have been put in place to prevent recurrence.

He further urged members of the public to desist from circulating or reproducing the video, noting that the parties involved are both children and have the right to privacy.