Africa-Press – Botswana. An alarming rise of violent behaviour among school children has sparked concern in Matlapana in Maun, with educators urging parents to take a more active role in shaping their children’s discipline and values.
Speaking during a recent community engagement, Sexaxa Primary School head, Ms Keabonye Maoto expressed concern over the increasing number of physical altercations among learners, citing a an incident where a fight between two pupils escalated to one stabbing the other with a pen on the shoulder.
“That’s no longer just a fight rather this is attempted murder. Children must be taught that violence is not the solution as these acts can lead to life-threatening injuries,” she said.
She stressed that parents needed to be more involved in instilling discipline and guiding their children at home.
“If we do not correct them at home, they will come to school and harm others hence the need to teach our children to resolve conflicts peacefully,” she said.
Ms Maoto also condemned a trend where some parents, upon learning that their child had been hurt or bullied, resorted to attacking the bullying child.
“Instead of reporting to school authorities or speaking to the other child’s parent, some adults are taking justice into their own hands by beating someone else’s child and that’s not the way,” she said.
She appealed to parents to model respectful conflict resolution and to work closely with schools in addressing such issues legally and constructively.
For his part, Kgosi Tapologo Mosika of Matlapana Ward shared the school head’s sentiments, particularly around the rise in gender-based violence and emotional abuse in the home.
“We are seeing more cases of verbal abuse, especially women insulting men. These fights often end in violence or even death hence when things get heated, step away and let emotions cool before sitting down to talk,” he said.
Kgosi Mosika encouraged residents to turn to church, saying it offered spiritual guidance, peace and healing.
“We need to find our way back to God because He is our Redeemer and through Him, we find peace and learn how to live with one another,” he said.
He also raised concerns about noise pollution and urged people to respect quiet hours during the night. Furthermore, he addressed growing waste management issues, especially the improper disposal of diapers and the burning of waste, which posed health risks.
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