Preventing “Sex” for Exams Grades through On-Air Town Hall Meeting.
Josephine Bongay in Black top with face mask on; during town hall meeting
Preventing “Sex” for Exams Grades through On-Air Town Hall Meeting.
Story by Josephine Bongay
“I am Josephine Bongay a JSS 1 pupil of Holy Rosary Secondary School Pujehun district. I broke the silence because I know Talking Drum Studio will amplify my cry and together put a stop to this perverted behavior in schools”.
“I know I am a smart pupil” Josephine narrates, “but I didn’t know why I didn’t perform better than girls I know I am smatter than in class. No matter how hard I study and prepare for class exams or tests, I just would not perform better than such girls. I got tired trying to solve this puzzle by myself and decided to explain to senior pupils in the same school.” After discussing her problems with other pupils, Josephine was stunned to find out that some female pupils in schools in Pujehun district would batter sex for high grades. “It took me a week to come out of the state of shock that befell me after such revelation” Josephine continues. She thought within herself of ways to stop such acts without exposing identity of the pupils who in this case can be referred to as the exploited.
In August 2021 Talking Drum Studio through its CSO partners invited Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs) and regular community members in Pujehun districts to attend an On-Air Town Hall Meeting. Among the intuitions invited were pupils and teachers of secondary schools. “When I was called upon to represent my school, I knew I have found solution to the problem because I knew TDS-SL will surely amplify my cry” Josephine decided to work with other pupils from other schools: Gobaru and Masaun secondary schools who shared the same concern with her to jointly vent out their anxiety in the meeting.
In the meeting of 13th August 2021, while the program was live on radio stations across Pujehun district, with all stakeholders in attendance, Josephine decided to speak up with a bold statement: “One practice that contributes to the poor performance of Pujehun district in public exams, is the trade of sex for grades in secondary schools, more especially the All-girls schools”. After her statement, a senior teacher from another school commented whether the meeting was “the right platform for such discussion”. That comment pushed Josephine’s coalition into action, they responded with an emphatic YES and this generated further support from other stakeholders and women groups in the meeting. Josephine further explained: “I didn’t think it was fair to other pupils who would work hard for excellence in class only to come with grades lesser than those who are usually sluggish in school”
Josephine’s statement generated attention from well-meaning stakeholders and women groups who supported the girls to set up anonymous groups in all female and mixed secondary schools to report any case of sex for grades. Since 13th August to date, there has not been any report of sex for grades from any school in Pujehun. “I thank Talking Drum Studio for bringing the Town Hall Meetings project to Pujehun district as today I can write exams and feel contented with my grades, knowing that those that beat me deserve to beat me in class”. Her gratitude to TDS-SL was endless “I’m so proud of myself, because I can lead a course and succeed thanks to TDS-SL