(Press Release)
Wednesday 15th June, 2022
A local faith-based non governmental organisation has called on government to intensify safety surveillance or abolish cadets in schools because of deaths.
Commenting on the death of four pupils at Nanga Secondary School in Mazabuka District in Southern Province over the weekend, Family Development Initiatives (FDI) Team Leader Yusuf Ayami said incidences of cadets beating pupils to death have been reported in the past few years and that time had come to do something about it.
According to Byta FM Radio, the four who were undergoing cadet training drowned in a Nanga farms’ pond after they failed an assignment and their instructor allegedly punished the victims by asking them to swim in the pond.
Sheikh Ayami said it is traumatising to the deceased families to learn that the pupils that had a promising future could drown during punishment by their cadet instructors.
“Every intervention, all programs we implement are aimed at promoting life, because it is sacred. To then see programs be condoned that take life undermines what we stand for,” Sheikh Ayami said.
He praised police for arresting the Cadet Instructor who is from the local community and four pupils to help police with investigations.
The Family Development Initiatives Team Leader has urged school authorities to scale up surveillance on the safety of pupils as it has a huge bearing on families.
And Ayami has called on Government to dialogue with private schools on the safety of pupils following the death of two other pupils that were playing in separate incidents.
He stated that lives of children are a great concern as no parent wants to bury their own child.