Cult practice by students a fatal trend

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Monday March 17th, 2014

 THERE  is  a  renowned  cult practice in secondary schools in the country. 

New students often become vulnerable to intimidation and harassment by Grade 10 cult practitioners.

The victimised students would be initiated with names to perform leadership roles in activities that involve smoking, drugs, alcohol, fighting, etc. 

Ninth graders would be subjected to dire consequences of intimidation and harassment. 

There would be a premeditated life-threatening initiation process called ‘scaling bros’, which would determine a student’s fate. 

He would be challenged by 20 to 30 tenth graders to test  if  he  can withstand  and survive the attack. 

If he survives, he would then become a future cult leader, but it he fails, his life would be at great risk for the rest of his school days. 

A  recent  incident  at Dela Salle Secondary School left  a  student hospitalised from injuries sustained  during a  cult-related fight 

A report stated that tenth graders had been implicated in cult practices that resulted in the incident, but the head teacher denied it.

Other incidences include ninth graders who are robbed of their lunch money, threatened in toilets and mob-attacked on their way to school. 

On Feb 12, a brawl erupted between ninth and tenth graders, which triggered chaos on school grounds and advanced to a bus stop adjacent the correctional institutional service (CIS) compound. 

The situation would have become worse if not for the quick response by the CIS and police personnel who fired a few shots to disperse the crowd. 

Parents are therefore warned to be weary of such situations. 

 

Jay D

Port Moresby