OVER 50 female pupils at Mukonchi Secondary School in KapiriMposhi district have abandoned their school dormitories opting to rent accommodation in the nearby villages for them to have freedom to indulge in sexual activities and beer drinking.
Mukonchi Secondary School Head-teacher Harrison Shikapwasha says this involves grade 12 and nine examination pupils who recently reported for lessons after examination classes were reopened.
ZANIS reports that Mr Shikapwasha disclosed the development yesterday, to Kapiri Mposhi District Commissioner, Smart Mwila who visited the school which operates as a weekly boarding school.
The head-teacher complained that the situation has resulted in most girls getting infections such as HIV /AIDS and falling pregnant and dropping out of school.
He further disclosed that at least 30 girl pupils drop out of school every year at the learning institution due to pregnancies.
“ This is the trend, every term the girls opt to rent in villages to avoid school restrictions on beer drinking and involvement in other illicit activities, but we have no control because the boarding section is an improvisation for girls coming from far places, as you know this is the only secondary school in the area,” Mr Shikapwasha said.
Mr Shikapwasha has since implored government to gazette MukonchiSecondary School as a full-fledged boarding school and construct dormitories for pupils.
“The school has only improvised dormitories for girls and all the boys are renting in nearby villages since it is not a gazetted boarding school,” Mr. Shikapwasha said.
And District Commissioner, Smart Mwila has expressed concern with the state of affairs at the learning institution, saying government will do everything possible to rectify the situation.
Mr Mwila said government will ensure it provides a conducive learning environment for both the girl and boy child accessing education as weekly boarders at the institution.
-ZANIS
