{ABOUT 21 pupils from Kilambo cha Mkolechi Primary School along the shore of Lake Tanganyika at Kala Ward in Nkasi District, Rukwa region have been suspended indefinitely to attend classes for wearing sandals popularly known here as ‘yeboyebo”.}
Their ‘yeboyebo’ were also burned by fire at the school ground according to written directives issued by the Nkasi District Council Education Officer (Primary School), Mr Misana Kwangula, that prohibits pupils to put on such footwear while attending classes.
Speaking with the ‘Daily News’ yesterday over the phone from Namanyere town in Nkasi District, the DEO, Mr Kwangula, refuted to have issued such a written directive to the said school.
“In fact late Monday one of the residents from Kalambo cha Mkolechi village alerted me over the incident that one of the teaching staff on duty had burned by fire yeboyebo footwears which pupils put on while attending classes.
“ I did not issue such a directive …. It is neither correct nor wise at all for a teacher to destroy any material belonging to pupils,” added Mr Kwangula.
Report from the school recounted that on that material morning when pupils attended classes while wearing yeboyebo, the teacher on duty who was identified by the name of Baraka Mwakasege prevented them to attend classes and ordered them to put off their yeboyebo sandals.
It was further recounted that Mr Mwakasege collected all the yeboyebo and burned them into ashes and suspended all 21 pupils from the school indefinitely.
Eye witnesses had it that a score of parents and guardians marched to the school demanding to be shown the said directive issued by Nkasi DEO and wanted to know when their children will be allowed to return to school.
The school Headteacher, Mr Ponsian Ally, refused to have directed the teacher on duty (Mwakasege) to suspend the pupils from the school and to destroy their yeboyebo into ashes.
Mr Privatus Yoram being one of the parents whose child was suspended from school, admitted the incident of which the teacher on duty Mr Mwakasege allegedly destroyed the pupils’ yeboyebo and suspended them from school indefinitely until parents buy them leather shoes.
Yoram and several other parents told this newspaper that leather shoes are not sold at any shop in the vicinity unless one travels to Namanyere Town about 150 km away from the village and a pair of such shoes at retail price is sold at between 15,000/- and 20,000/- depending on the size.
“Only yeboyebo are sold at shops here at Kalambo kwa Mkolechi Village and its surroundings… A pair of it is sold at between 4,000/- and 5,000/- depending on the size,” added one of the aggrieved parents.
On December last year, Rukwa Regional Commissioner, Mr Magalula Said Magalula directed all Head teachers and Headmasters/Headmistresses to accept all children reporting to school without any conditions even if they were not having school uniforms as well as shoes.
Source:Daily Monitor:[21 pupils ejected over ‘yeboyebo->http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/46819-21pupils-ejected-over-yeboyebo]
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