It’s the end of the school term, and we are grateful for the success of another term. Especially one that was threatened by the many cases of bullying in boarding schools around the country. The education sector has been under siege for the very many allegations of sexual harassment by teachers against students. The many vices which have plagued our youth, including the very disturbing trend of drug abuse. The youth are schooled to speak their truth and express themselves. They are groomed by superstars they do not know personally to live a life of independence. They are ‘friends’ with people with whom they have a very slim chance of meeting.

Blame it on the internet and the very many lewd music videos, and song lyrics that promote lewdness, substance intake, abuse, the supremacy of money, and self-assertion. Very easy to lay blames anywhere else but on the lack of self-investment into the quality of life skillset, thought pattern, and good habits. Blamestorming has been the answer to many evils arising in society. There has been no single person responsible for anything. Conversely, everyone trots around flaunting the entitlement card with brazenness.

Or, how do we explain the recent ordeal of a secondary public school teacher who has just been accused of rape by one of his students? A 16-year-old girl blatantly alleged that her teacher raped her? Upon her allegations, the teacher was arrested and locked up, and the story was published by a widespread national daily newspaper. The teacher insisted that he had absolutely nothing to do with the girl. Girl insists. The teacher has spent one full week remanded in a police cell alongside criminals. Further investigations reveal that the student had consensual intercourse with a fellow student, things went bad, the girl continued bleeding alerted parents, and voila- the teacher is to be blamed!   Interestingly, the teacher's family chose to stand by him and so had to pay the sum of 200,000 thousand to stop the teacher from being publicly paraded as a rapist.

What’s the possibility of having this teacher back to his best self, ready, fit, and willing to do his job optimally?  What is the cost of undoing the psychological effects of being in close proximity to hardened criminals for one week? More importantly, shall we begin to see the consequences of false accusations of rape? Should there be scapegoats? Absolutely!  The students are on the verge of getting away with this act just because they are minors.

On the flip side, imagine the furore this incident would have generated if the teacher were truly guilty of the accusation. The uproar by parents, the name-calling by students, and the backlash the education sector would have received. That people can easily get away with some criminal acts and the fact that society is set up in such a way that these acts are enabled and society’s judgment is usually hasty and one-sided make it difficult for the accused to defend himself or at least speak up.

Let’s see everyone as human beings. Having some reputation to protect. It may be sensational to report a rape case but how do you retract when the story is false.  There’s more to being a human being than selling sensational stories.

To remedy the youth and their present disposition, more work has to be done in the area of being a good example capable of influencing them positively.

When next you hear “he raped me” be sure to know the truth before you react.