Danisa Masuku
TWO female pupils from Usher Girls High School in Matabeleland South province have become the subject of discussion after they “exchanged wedding vows in a mock wedding ceremony”.
A teacher at the school who requested not to be named said the two learners were doing Form Three and their “wedding” was attended by their classmates. The source said US$180 was paid as the bride price, but it could not be established who received the lobola.
“It is not known who among the students raised US$180 as the bride price. The venue was beautiful and decorated with balloons,” said the source.
Pupils made noise in their celebrations and that caught the attention of the headmistress who was patrolling around the school.
“The headmistress rushed to where the noise was emanating from and was shocked to find the wedding in progress. Upon seeing the headmistress some pupils fled from the classroom while some learners including the ‘bridegroom and bride maid’ remained,” said the source.
The school authorities summoned the parents of the concerned pupils last week, after that, the pupils at the centre of the storm were issued with transfer letters.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Taungana Ndoro confirmed the incident. He said: “We are aware of the recent incident that occurred at one of the secondary schools. We do not condone any activities that disrupt the academic focus or violate school policies.
A thorough investigation is underway, led by a committee of experienced educators and administrators. We recognise that this incident may highlight areas where we need to strengthen our policies and procedures so that we properly support our students.”
Ndoro further appealed for privacy and confidentiality as they handle the matter.
“We urge the media and the public not to speculate on the matter and let’s respect the privacy and confidentiality of those involved. Our priority is to maintain a positive and constructive learning environment for all students,” he said.
