By Kefiloe Kajane
Lerotholi Polytechnic (LP) known as Fokothi has reported that since 2009, eight students have since died due to ill-treatment by others, 64 students expelled and no arrests have been made.
This was said by the school’s rector, Sipiriti Tlali. during the national dialogue on ill-treatment on other students at the school organised by Development for Peace Education (DPE).
Giving a brief background, Tlali indicated that the school started in 1894 and throughout the years there were never any ill-treatment related deaths reported. He said as the years went on, the ill-treatment by older students meted out to the beginners took a toll. He gave an example of the recent ill-treatment last week where there were students found forcing others to drink water from helmet.
He explained that the committee at the time decided to close the students’ residence in campus as it believed that that would limit the ill-treatment.
“Throughout the years the ill-treatment continued despite the interventions that we introduced as the school. Every year we work with police on training students to be better leaders and taking responsibilities. We finally decided to call Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) to help us in patrolling the school. For a long time, there were no deaths reported or any ill-treatment but since Covid-19 when members of LDF were not here, that is when immediately the two students went missing.
“It is a pity that our school is famous for bad behaviour though there are so many things that we have as a school that are good. I appeal to the public and stakeholders here today that we find a way that we can rescue this school because it has potential to change this country. At this moment, the school is closed because the students are striking due to the fact that they want the school to bring back the two expelled students who were found ill-treating others,” Tlali said.
He expressed that the ill-treatments did not only affect those involved but the students at large mentally. He said LP is the only school that has a potential of changing the country’s economy as it offers courses that Lesotho desperately needed.
Parent of one of the students that are missing, Sekhohola Malokotsa, said it has been a saddening time for him and his family not knowing what happened to his child. He appealed to the public to help police with the information so as to track the whereabouts of the learners.
“Even if we can just find a bone that belongs to our child. It is very hard for us. It is even harder now that we do not get any updates on state of the investigation is so far. We have so many questions as parents of which no one has answers at this stage. We need some type of closure.
“I really hope that this dialogue is going to help us as parents to find a way to protect our children when they are at that school” he said.
The minister of education and training, ‘Mamookho Phiri, expressed deep disappointment that the school has now been turned into a “murder scene.” She said the situation is likely to bar their children to enroll at the facility fearing for their lives.
She explained that this year the school did not admit a satisfying number of students who had applied. That, she thought, might be due to reluctance by parents to encourgage their children to apply for admissions.
Phiri was concerned that “those who are responsible are not even getting arrested because there is no one giving police leads.”
“If students continue to die, I am afraid that the school might end up being closed which will be sad because it is a very good school that have intelligent students. I would like to take this time to appeal to anyone who might know anything to come forward with a lead that can help the police make arrests,” she said.
Senior inspector Limpho Masasa from department of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) indicated that during the investigations, she realised that many of the students join the ill-treatment groups due to peer pressure. She said the students are secretive and not forthcoming but she hopes that the national dialogue will help them see the importance of coming forward with information.
She said the police have exhausted all the leads that they have. She appealed to people to tip police so that a clue to the puzzle may be found.
All the participants from the National Security Service, Lesotho Defence Force, former LP students, parents, the LMPS members as well as some members of the public were unanimous that the school needed help for safety and protection.
This comes after early this year two second year students from LP were reported missing after an alleged initiation process in the Mohokare River went awry.
It is feared the two could have drowned or were washed away when the new members were being ‘initiated.’
