Students went into strike mode on Friday, marking the second day of demonstrations. Student Eloie Raujib was turned away at the entrance, and his fellow students were in solidarity with him. They did not go to their classrooms. All these protests originated from alleged derogatory remarks made by the Headmaster towards this 15-year-old pupil on Thursday 16. The Special Support Unit (SSU) had to intervene.
This morning he was turned away at the entrance. He was accompanied by his father Michael Raujib, who was very upset by what his son had experienced. The management made it clear that it was in order to prevent another chaos like the day before.
A look back at the day of Thursday 16th
The student Eloie Raujib tells us that the origin of this protest was a remark made to her for having a green jacket instead of the black one required by the rules and regulations of the school. “I didn’t have a black jacket that was warm enough. I had the flu and I didn’t think that this triviality would become such a big problem. When he pointed this out to me, I jokingly told him that he was wearing a red shirt. He took the joke badly and asked me to follow him to his office. And on the way, he was angry and said Nation pann fer pou res dan sa lekol la. Nation pe gat sa lekol la! The director caused my father to leave work to come and get me. Director Rajmun threatened to expel me for the day.
The Thursday protests lasted only a few hours, and the students were insistent on speaking to Principal Benysing Rajmun demanding an apology. They gathered in front of the principal’s office en masse and the principal preferred to let the students leave early, at 1:30 pm. The students demonstrated in the streets up to Curepipe station denouncing the actions of the headmaster, and posted videos and live streams on social networks. Following their departure, the management organised a general staff meeting, and the educators were formally instructed not to support the students but to protect the headmaster and the peace in the school.
A hectic Friday
There were already provisions for a demonstration this Friday morning at 8 am by parents, Upsee members and some students. But students from both departments joined the demonstration and held a sit-in. The situation was brought under control by SSU officers. The crowd was dispersed, and the children were asked to return to their classrooms. But the parents and trade unionists stayed a little longer.
Arvind Bhojun, general secretary of Upsee, says “Enough is Enough! Above and beyond the current accusations against Principal Rajmun, he still enjoys the protection of the education authorities. As a union, we cannot accept such attacks on students, let alone racist comments and actions. This is against the codes. It cannot determine which community has the right to be part of the school and which community should not! We will support the students and parents who come to protest. Benysingh Rajmun must be condemned for his actions and words. We call on the PSEA and the Minister of Education to intervene and sanction him.
Complaints to the police
As of Thursday 16, Principal Benysingh Rajmun has denied any such remarks and said he was surprised by such a reaction from the students. He could not be reached on the day. A staff member told us that on Thursday 16 “Principal Rajmun went to advise the officers of the Curepipe police station of the degeneration of the situation and to seek their protection.” Student Raujib was turned away because the management feared further retaliation. The 15-year-old was allowed to return to school on Monday. However, he considers that “nothing has been settled. My father and I have made a statement at the Curepipe police station against Director Rajmun,” he concluded.
