Teachers reject students’ claims

TEACHERS from Tokarara Secondary have refuted claims raised by students about late attendance.
Requesting anonymity, the teachers said most late students were usual “culprits” who lived within the neighbourhood but wasted time at the nearby market either chewing betelnut or smoking each morning.
One teacher said it had become common practice for students to be chased from the market to enter the school premises.   
“It is unfair to students with special passes residing outside of the city limits like Tubusereia, Barakau and 17-Mile who were able to come on time while the same particular students continued arriving late,” the teacher said.
A survey on students’ punctuality was also carried out during the last term in which the school executives passed a new decision to shut the school gates at eight o’clock each morning.
The survey had indicated that 80% of the students were arriving late, prompting the executives to take tougher measurers in light of the situation.
The teachers said that students were advised about the new decision during assembly last Monday.
Parents were also urged to take responsibility for their children by ensuring that they attended classes on time.
It was pointed out that some of these behaviours were related to cult movements in schools throughout NCD.