School Violence: A Dangerous New Trend

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 FREETOWN 000232

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W, INR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SOCI PINS SL

SUBJECT: School Violence: A Dangerous New Trend

REF: 05 Freetown 167

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Summary
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1. A spate of violent demonstrations by high school
students may be the start of a dangerous trend. There
have been five separate student demonstrations in less
than a month, one of which resulted in the shooting death
of a student. Government officials have expressed
concern over the violence, but the social conditions that
are contributing to the trend will be difficult to
address. End summary.

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Students On The Rampage
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2. On February 9, students from Yoni Bana Secondary
School at Mile 91 in central Sierra Leone rioted when
police arrested their senior student prefect for
allegedly beating a fellow student who lived in the
school principal's residence. When the magistrate judge
refused to grant bail, an irate group of students took
their principal hostage and forcibly marched him three
miles to the police station, which is also used as the
magistrate court. The students insisted that their
prefect be released from custody, but the police refused.
An advance security vehicle in a vice presidential convoy
that happened on the scene stopped and attempted to
restore order by firing warning shots. One of the
demonstrating students was killed, allegedly by one of
the warning shots. This infuriated the students, who
stormed the police station, overpowered the officers, and
forcibly released their colleague. The students then
burned the police station, two police motorbikes and a
police vehicle. Mile 91 police requested reinforcement
from a nearby town to quell the situation and later
arrested 15 students.


3. On February 13, students from St. Joseph's Secondary
School, an all-girls' Catholic school in Freetown,
violently demonstrated after learning the Ministry of
Education sacked one of their school principals. (Note:
Most high schools have two principals - one for the
junior high school and another for the senior high
school. End Note.) The students, who blamed the senior
high school principal for orchestrating the sacking,
demanded that the Ministry fire her instead. The
students threatened to close the school and threw rocks
and other objects at the school building.


4. On March 2, students from Albert Academy School in
Freetown went on the rampage, throwing stones and other
objects at the school building and injuring a teacher.
The angry students claimed that most teachers do not show
up for class. Police made no arrests but restored calm
the following day. Most parents are still apprehensive,
however, and have been reluctant to send their children
back to school.


5. On March 7, students from Collegiate Secondary School
in Freetown went on strike, complaining about the lack of
pipe-borne water, deplorable sanitary conditions,
classroom overcrowding and the lethargic attitude of
teachers. Pandemonium ensued in the vicinity of the
school and six students were arrested for misconduct and
breach of public order.


6. On March 9, students from high schools all over
Freetown rioted after an annual inter-secondary school
athletic meet organized by the Ministry of Education.
Students threw rocks and other objects at each other,
jumped on vehicles, hit and robbed passers-by and sang
lewd songs. Fifty-four students were arrested and
charged to court for riotous conduct, unlawful possession
of marijuana and other offenses. (Note: Violence at this
particular event has become an annual ritual, but seems
to be getting worse. End note.)

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Government Reacts With Concern
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7. Police Inspector General Brima Acha Kamara said in a
press conference that the police will take "tough action"
against school indiscipline and that any student caught
behaving in a disorderly manner will be arrested,
investigated, and then prosecuted. Assistant Inspector
General for Police Operations Richard Moigbe was more
conciliatory and said that he has ordered local
commanders to engage students and teachers of all
secondary schools in their area of operation to identify
the growing problems in the schools and find permanent
solutions to them. Moibge also said that though the
students may have genuine complaints about what is
affecting them negatively, parents and guardians must
caution them to desist from violence.


8. Education Minister Alpha Wurie expressed concern over
the violence in a radio interview. He attributed this
development to several factors, including the civil war,
as some students have been either victims or perpetrators
of heinous war crimes. Wurie also blamed the upsurge of
student violence on the lack of guidance counselors to
help students who are traumatized and prone to violence.
Wurie urged parents to teach their children good
discipline for the good of the nation.

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Proud History Of Student Demonstration Sours
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9. Student demonstrations are not a new phenomenon in
Sierra Leone, and college students have historically been
a force for positive change. In 1977, university
students demonstrated repeatedly against the one-party
government of President Stevens and eventually forced him
to conduct early elections. In 1996, students
successfully demonstrated against President Kabbah for
attempting to give ex-President Momoh a yearly stipend, a
bodyguard, a gardener and other benefits. In August
1997, two students were killed during a demonstration
against the Armed Forces Revolutionary council (AFRC)
junta, which had seized power from President Kabbah.


10. Recent student demonstrations, however, differ in
their tendency to quickly descend into violence. The new
trend began last year when Fourah Bay College students
demonstrated to protest poor terms of service for
university employees (reftel). The protests started as a
peaceful march but later became violent. This year's
violence has come from younger students who have even
less ability to peacefully channel their dissatisfaction
with authority.

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Comment
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11. Much of he blame for students' violent conduct can
be traced back to the ravages of Sierra Leone's 11-year
war. Most secondary school students would have been
between eight and ten years old during the peak of the
war. Many of them and their families suffered serious
human rights violations and others were combatants
themselves. These children remain extremely vulnerable.
Violations aside, the war interrupted the schooling of
children nationwide. Traditional values, social fabric,
and social norms were all casualties of war. Anger and
frustration now often manifests itself as violence
throughout society, and children have picked up on this
and mimic it.


12. Also, now that the war is over, the Ministry of
Education is viewed as one of the most corrupt
ministries. (Note: The Anti Corruption Commission has
identified the Ministry of Education as one of its
"hotspots" of corruption. End Note.) This means that
youth are exposed daily to authority figures who abuse
their authority and they see how it negatively affects
their daily lives and their education. Underpaid, and
often unpaid teachers notoriously neglect their classes
and supplement their incomes with after-hours tutorials
for those who can afford to pay. School conditions are
frequently abysmal, adding to students' legitimate
grievances.

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13. The political and economic prospects for youth do
not offer much to look forward to. Although most policy
makers and donors see the youth as the force that will
make or break Sierra Leone's current peace, there is
little opportunity for youth to find jobs that will
contribute positively to society and there is no
comprehensive youth employment program. The younger
generation is not well represented in the ruling party,
either - the old guard maintains control of the affairs
of the state. Youth have no real positive outlet through
regularized sports or other activities. For example,
secondary school students practice all year for only one
day of inter-school competition, the Secondary School
Sports Day. Anger among youth is also coming out as
angry street slang. One example is "Ya na bar we go
pwell ya" meaning "You are treating the country like a
beer bar, so we will brawl in it and destroy it." This
slang is not only targeted at government officials, but
anyone on the street who appears successful or rich.


14. These incidents, though isolated, may be an
indication that worse outbreaks are to come. If the
present political, social, and economic conditions
remained unchanged, anger and frustration will
undoubtedly continue to increase. Fixing the country's
broken institutions and giving the younger generation
hope that their situation will improve is the only way
forward. Government officials are, for the most part,
saying the right things. The country's future depends on
them putting their money where their mouth is. End
Comment.
HULL