Battle for hearts and minds

 Like bullying in school, cult practice is another form of bullying where one group of students attempt to gain power and control over another group by exerting their ‘hidden curriculum’ or dark cultural values through threats, physical aggressive force, and intimidation to subject another individual or group to conform to the dominant group’s belief and value systems.  

It is known that cult group members existed in PNG schools for many years. Former members of the cult groups are now adults and most of them are now parents.  

Many are occupying public offices and are happily maintaining their links with their former schools.

The cult group is a highly organised group with structured grouping and leadership system.  

Their organisational structure can be likened to a very large corporation with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.  

Every aspect of the organisation of the cult group is spelt out and individuals occupying the different roles swear allegiance and loyalties to the cult leader.  

The only authority that the members of the cult group respect is not the head teacher or boards of governors but the cult group leader. 

Membership in the cult group is by way of competitive recruitment drive among the cult groups.  

There is a HR person or recruitment officer who offers attractive incentives that are difficult to turn down.  

For example, every boy recruited is guaranteed a girlfriend. Similarly, every girl is offered a boyfriend at the school, not if they joined their cult group but when they joined.  

Not only are they guaranteed a boyfriend or a girlfriend but they are guaranteed their safety while at school as the cult group will take care of their security needs.   

It’s a guaranteed inducement, most probably difficult to turn down by the timid ones who are recruited from mostly rural schools and insecure homes to attend large urban schools with aggressive students.

Every student’s specific roles are all fully defined in the cult groups. No one is to act outside of their designated role.  

Failure to comply with the expectations of the cult group leader is punishable by the most severest and cruellest by normal standards of human decency.  

The penalty is decided by their ‘discipline committee’ at the direction of the cult group leader. 

One cult group prepared a concoction of various substances with high toxicity levels beyond the levels humans could safely consume. 

There are many aspects of cult group activities and practices that we can classify as abhorrent and anti-social. One aspect of a cult group is interesting to highlight here.  

The only authority is the cult group leader. The cult group members swear allegiance to their leader.  

What the cult group leader says is their command. Where does that leave the authority of the teacher, head teacher, school boards, and for that matter the authority of the school, in general.

Nevertheless, cult practices and cult related practices however illegal, is thriving in many schools and therefore we see the periodic schools fights or inter-school fights resulting in deaths of students and large casualties of injuries among the warring factions. Destruction of properties such as classrooms and dormitories are evident whenever there is an inter-school fight.

Passing of ‘generation names’ ensure the cult group and its practices are passed on to the new students recruited and therefore follow and effective recruitment and induction programme for continuity of the cult group.  

New student names (generation names) are given at their induction or initiation and to which the inductee is to live up to what the name means and imply. 

For example, if your name is a ‘Warrior’, you have nothing other than to be the warrior by putting your life on the line fighting for your cult group whenever it is at war with other cult group members either within the school or between the schools.  

If your generation name is ‘Spy’, you have to perform that role for the group. If your name is ‘Guard’ then you make sure you provide security to the cult group member assigned to you. Roles assigned are non-negotiable and refusal to comply is an offence punishable by the cult group court.

School fights

School fights or inter-school fights are unrelated to academic or school and school-sanctioned activities. 

School fights are used as a means to show which cult group is superior. Inter-school fights are a demonstration of being territorial.  

Any cult group operating in one school will almost always ensure that their territorial integrity is protected at all cost.  

Cult groups are school-based and each is aiming to claim supremacy in warfare.   

Mind you that cult groups have planners that plan, planning for inter-school fight is one such planned operation.  

In the past schools used to compete academically in obtaining su­perior results in national exams to perform better than their rival school.  

Now the rule of the game changes from performing better in examinations to engaging in all-out war in inter-school fights.  

Historically church-run schools in PNG produced the cream of national leaders at all levels. 

Even church-run schools are at the forefront of school fights and one wonders why the historically strong church values have somehow produced the contrary results.  

School fights are caused by many factors, including cult practices. Other factors include; consumption of illicit drugs and alcohol, binge-drinking, teasing, boy-girl relationship, mobile phone use and abuses, and denial of parental discipline and guidance.  

All these factors are related in one way or another to the operation of the cult groups. 

The cult group leadership is in direct conflict with school authorities in terms of members’ loyalty and allegiance.   

The cult group leader’s authority is considered superior to that of a head teacher or school boards under their organisational structure. 

Exam cheating

A very serious illegal practice taking place in a few schools is the practice of ‘formalised’ cheating in national examinations.  

I say formalised cheating because there are teachers who knowingly allowed and even facilitated for students in their schools to cheat in examinations.

Formalised cheating occurs where a small group of teachers in collaboration with some officers in the Measurement Services Branch obtain answer sheets to Examination Questions. The Department of Education-sanctioned report (DOE 2012) has concluded that exam cheating did occur.  

The report made some scathing recommendations to improve the security of exam papers among many other recommendations.  

Those students who cheated their way through the exams are not penalised.  

The students who didn’t cheat have been disadvantaged in terms of denial of study places in higher education institutions because their GPA rating does not allow them to obtain placements.

Cheating in exams compromises the integrity of the certificates awarded and thereby renders the grades awarded suspect.  

For as long as cheating in exams go unpunished or even condoned, cheating is likely to flourish, making a big mockery not only of our education system but the examination and certification system.  

Our credibility on the global scene will be disastrous. Honest schools and honest students will continue to be disadvantaged. Honesty, as a virtue, is no longer striven for at school so where can we get honest leaders from?

The question is: What kind of leaders will we get coming out from schools and students who cheat in examinations?  

Conversely, what will become of those who are honest at their exams but didn’t have a better grade point average compared to the ones who cheated?   

Can we trust a future leader of this country, say a state minister or a prime minister who comes from a handful of students who cheated their way in through our exam systems?  

We need to reform the security and management of the national examination system.

Falsify academic 

transcript and certificates

Falsifying academic transcripts and certificates is not uncommon. There is evidence (DOE 2012) available that some people have ‘upgraded’ their results on their school certificate.  

The desire to seek higher education opportunities forces many people to forge their certificate and upgrade their results in order to meet the required grade point average.  

Competition for limited spaces in higher education as a result of expansion in secondary school sector creates a bottleneck where only about five per cent of the school leavers can progress further in higher education institutions.

• Continued on Wednesday