Robert Tred”gold Primary School in Bulawayo has been left reeling after a Grade 7 pupil was expelled following a string of disturbing incidents involving verbal abuse, physical assault, and shockingly crude language. The disciplinary committee’s decision to expel the 13-year-old, whose name is being withheld, came into effect on May 13, 2025, in a bid to restore order and discipline to the school environment.
The incidents, which occurred in February and March of this year, have raised serious questions about discipline in schools and the level of uncouth language some youngsters are allegedly resorting to. The case has left many parents expressing disbelief and concern over such alleged behaviour from a child. How could a young boy allegedly utter such vile and disrespectful words? What could have led to this shocking display of disrespect?
The charges against the pupil, born on April 30, 2012, paint a picture of a child with a disturbingly uncouth tongue and a propensity for violence. Documents obtained reveal the unsettling allegations against the pupil, whose name has been withheld for ethical reasons. The explosive incidents, detailed in official correspondence from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, paint a picture of a child with a disturbingly uncouth tongue.
According to a charge sheet, the pupil verbally abused his class teacher on March 27, 2025, referring to her as “a dog” and “a lesbian”. Just the day before, on March 26, the boy is accused of verbally abusing a fellow Grade Seven pupil, with equally disgusting language. He allegedly told the pupil that his parents were prostitutes and made a crude and bizarre reference to them drinking tea “inside a condom”!
Adding to the catalogue of alleged misdeeds, the boy is also accused of physical violence. On February 19, he reportedly beat another pupil, leaving him with a swollen eye and mouth. And when a senior teacher tried to reprimand him for the assault, the response was reportedly even more outrageous. The letter claims the boy retorted by saying he wanted to “deal with people who have big ‘mabhora’” and chillingly threatened to “mark an X on the teacher’s buttocks”!
The letter states that on March 27, 2025, the unthinkable happened when the boy allegedly directed vile insults at his class teacher.
The disciplinary outcome, stated in stark terms, is the exclusion of the boy from Robert Tredgold School, effective May 13, 2025, “for sanity to prevail in the school”.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mr Taungana Ndoro, confirmed the expulsion of the pupil from the Bulawayo school.
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has backed the exclusion of a Grade 7 pupil from Robert Tredgold Primary School in Bulawayo over repeated serious misconduct.
PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou told CITE the pupil was excluded, not expelled, stressing that the move allows the learner to continue their education elsewhere while protecting the learning environment for other pupils. Said Zhou:
“There’s a difference between expulsion and exclusion. Exclusion means the student can still be recommended for admission at another school. It’s a disciplinary measure to show that misbehaviour, such as insulting teachers, has consequences.”
“Schools must maintain order and discipline. Exclusion serves as a deterrent and can prompt behavioural change not just for the individual pupil but for others who observe the consequences of misconduct. Many pupils behave this way due to peer influence. Once removed from their social group and placed in a new environment, they often reassess their behaviour,” he said.
Zhou called for the urgent deployment of psychological services in schools, saying many institutions across Zimbabwe lack the support systems needed to manage behavioural issues effectively.
Zhou said that while psychologists are meant to assist students, most are based at district or provincial offices, far from where they’re needed most.
His remarks follow the exclusion of a Grade 7 pupil from Robert Tredgold Primary School in Bulawayo after a disciplinary committee found the 13-year-old guilty of four serious charges.
Zhou called for the urgent deployment of psychological services in schools, saying many institutions across Zimbabwe lack the support systems needed to manage behavioural issues effectively. Zhou said that while psychologists are meant to assist students, most are based at district or provincial offices, far from where they’re needed most.
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