Violence in Secondary schools persists despite calls by State Institutions and civil society organisations for it to stop.
Increasingly, more and more schools are experiencing violent scenes from their students. Most often, these violent attacks are geared towards teachers or members of the schools administration.
The Principal of Complexe Scolaire Yona, in Yaounde, Michel Tienssom Tientcheu, is the most recent victim of the never ending cycle of student-teacher brouhaha.
Mr. Tientcheu is reported to have sustained injuries after he was stabbed by a ‘Premiere F4’ student in the course of a brawl.
The incident which resulted from a Scuffle over a pullover occurred in the office of the principal. The school administrator seized the student’s pullover and refused to hand it back to Him.
The principal then instructed the student and others who were at the school gate to go to their classrooms after the seizure.
While his mates went to their classrooms, the Said student rather stormed the principal’s office demanding to have back his pullover. It was in the course of the scuffle, that the student Stabbed the principal.
As tempers rose and a heated debate ensued, the student removed a knife from his bag and stabbed the principal on his shoulder and stomach.
After this gruesome assault which left the principal in a pool of his own blood, the student tried to flee the scene. However, he was quickly intercepted by bike riders around the school campus located at the Nkolbisson neighbourhood, in the Yaoundé VII Subdivision.
The Principal was rushed to hospital for medical care while the student was handed over to officers of the National Gendarmerie in the area.
The student could be charged with Assault Occasioning Grievous Harm according to Section 279 of Cameroons Penal Code that says:
“Whoever by force or interference unintentionally causes to another the injuries described in section 277 of this Code shall be punished with imprisonment for from five to ten years and in a fit case with fine of from FCFA 5 000 to FCFA 500 000”.
Section 277 on its part says “Whoever permanently deprives another of the use of the whole or of any part of any member, organ or sense shall be punished with imprisonment for from 10 to 20 years”.
Section 279 further adds that: “Where use is made of a weapon, of any explosive, corrosive or toxic substance, of poison, or of any act of witchcraft, magic or divination, the imprisonment shall be from 6 to 15 years”.
The incident at Complexe Scolaire Yona is coming barely weeks after a student was dismissed at Lycee Nkol-Eton for assaulting a discipline mistress. Worth recalling is the fact that violence has of recent being on the rise in the school milieu.
In 2021, a teacher died as a result of wounds sustained after being stabbed by a student in Yaounde While another student lost his life in Douala in a similar incident. Secondary Education Minister, Prof. Nalova Lyonga, has intensified sensitisation for schools to ensure serious checks are carried out on students before they are allowed on campuses.
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