Students forced to sing national anthem on their knees at Malhazine Secondary School – O País

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Students forced to sing national anthem on their knees at Malhazine Secondary School – O País

11:40 CAT | 06 Jun 2022

Photo: O País

Malhazine Secondary School in Maputo forces [or forced] students who arrive late to sing the national anthem on their knees and then crawl to their classrooms.

The institution’s management confirms the incident, but claims that it only happened once, as a way of discouraging late arrivals.

Images which ‘O País’ had seen show about 50 students who had not arrived in time to sing the national anthem at 6:45 a.m. kneeling in the courtyard.

Another video shows students then crawling towards their classrooms.

According to the teenagers involved, the situation is more serious than the videos would appear to indicate.

According to our interviewees, the national anthem is sung at the school at 6:45 a.m. sharp, and students who are late have to wait for the second period to enter the school grounds, or submit to the punishment of singing the anthem on their knees.

The students told our reporter anonymously that delays are usually due to the lack of transport, or because, in winter, they cannot leave their homes in the dark for fear of falling into the hands of evildoers.

Their indignation is shared by some parents, who consider the punishment inhumane.

After videos of the punishment circulated on social media, some student guardians threatened to denounce the school, and the ritual was not repeated on Friday, students who were late simply waiting outside the school.

The presence of the O País report team however guaranteed that everyone was allowed to enter, despite delays, and the national anthem was sung without any punishment being imposed.

By Inalcídio Uamusse

Source: O País