[imagesource: Travelground]

Boys will be boys, goes the old refrain.

Cool, but it’s 2022 and expecting Grade eight pupils to crawl through a long jump pit you’ve urinated in will get you suspended.

The incident in question took place during top KwaZulu-Natal school Maritzburg College’s grade eight orientation camp, with prefects and house leaders since suspended.

The school sent out a letter to parents, reports IOL, saying the prefects were suspended on a charge of misconduct:

“The School views this conduct in a serious light and is taking steps to address the conduct. These leaders, who all know that with the honour of being a leader comes accountability and responsibility, have been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing,” the letter said.

In an update to the parents, the school said there were a few Grade 8 pupils who experienced a rash following the orientation camp, but it could not be confirmed whether the two events were related.

Maritzburg College said those with the rash were treated by the San sisters and the rash has “cleared up”. It added that there were “no reports of serious illness or distress”.

Criticism has been levelled at the school for allowing “initiation” to take place, but this has been denied. Instead, Maritzburg College says it was an annual orientation programme.

The annual two-day, one-night orientation camp, which is attended by all grade eights, has “a focus on the practical aspects of college life”.

More from TimesLIVE:

“The grade 8 orientation camp has taken place since January 2015 and in no way constitutes an initiation practise. Unfortunately, the lapse in judgement by the senior boys hours before the start of the event was unexpected and unacceptable and is contrary to the spirit of the event and the school as a whole.

“School staff were unaware of this conduct until after the completion of the orientation camp,” the school’s governing body said on Wednesday..

“No pupils were exposed to any form of initiation … in terms of national legislation and the school’s code of conduct, any form of initiation is prohibited,” the governing body said.

The investigation is still ongoing and the students remain suspended until its conclusion.

Maritzburg College does perhaps deserve some credit for communicating openly with parents but it’s still not a good look at all.

Oh, and just because you had it worse in your day, old boys across the country, doesn’t make it right.

[sources:iol&timeslive]