Gone are the days when people talked things over in relationships. Now people resort to extreme methods of expressing themselves like destroying a person’s property as seen in the case of Diana Maphosa
Diana, a 20-year old A-level student was convicted for arson and theft after she broke into her boyfriend’s house and stole academic certificates, a birth certificate, and a Samsung tablet. She then ran away after setting the place on fire.
Mbare Magistrate, Nyasha Vhitorini sentenced Diana to a wholly suspended 36 months for the two counts of arson and theft on the condition that she does not commit a similar offence in the next three years. This means she will not serve any time behind bars as long as she does not commit a similar offence within the next 3 years.
Diana justified her actions by saying she committed the offence because she was angry at Kudakwashe ( her boyfriend and complainant) for taking her virginity and dumping her.
This incident is an example of what happens when the education system is broken down. For years now students haven’t been learning much because of lockdowns due to the Covid pandemic, add to that teacher’s strikes as is currently being witnessed.
The time out of school and being unproductive may cause students to focus on other issues like socializing and dating. During the national lockdowns, we also witnessed the youth and young adults hosting house parties.
With the lack of resources for e-learning and few classroom learning hours, many children may have to repeat their grades because it is difficult to pass exams without sufficient knowledge.
The fact that Diana is 20 and still in Form 6 means she probably had to repeat in the past. This incident is not only a sign of moral decay but it also reflects the current continuously degrading state of the education system.