Parents to sign contract

PARENTS of students attending one of the oldest and largest secondary schools in the country have unanimously said that they are willing to sign a contract before enrolling their children.
The parents of the former all-boys school, Bugandi Secondary in Lae, said at a meeting yesterday that they wanted an immediate stop to school fights and cult activities – like the case last Thursday and Friday which included the stabbing of a Grade 9 student and the verbal abuse at two female teachers.
The parents felt that cult activities and fraternity clubs were the cause of the illicit activities.
More than 300 parents met with principal Ben Yana and his 52 teachers and cried out for the school to take tough disciplinary actions to stem school violence and cultist activities.
They said they wanted a contract to be prepared by the school that would explicitly state that if the children were found to be involved in school fights or cult activities, or drinking homebrew alcohol or taking marijuana, and even using foul language, they would be expelled immediately.
Many parents openly lambasted their children’s attitudes and said they could not sit back and see their children involved in activities other than academic.
“We send our children to school to be educated – not to be involved illicit and dangerous activities,” Rex Mauri, of Hidden Valley gold mine, said.
“We are also conscious of their movements from the time they leave our homes and the time they arrive in school. The window, which also exists in the time they leave school and the time they arrive at home, is used for activities that can best be described as nightmarish.”
Yana told the parents that his staff members “could not be teachers and police officers” at the same time.
“We are trained to educate the children in the classroom. Being a policeman is not our job.
“We want you as parents to help us as teachers, come up with the answers.”
Morobe provincial education adviser Murika Bihoro who was also at the meeting told the parents that when they had more interaction with their children, the outcome would be in the overall academic excellence of their children in the school.
“It is better to teach children at home before sending them to school,” he said.