GABON: Bullies sanctioned, not expelled

Students at the Université des Sciences et Technique of Massuku who bullied freshers have avoided dismissal from the university, reported Gabonews of Libreville.

The 42 students - one of whom was also accused of disorderly conduct in the university canteen - were instead given punishments of an "academic and social nature" said Gabonews, some of which an extraordinary committee meeting ruled to suspend.

The meeting included the university's rector, the director-general of the National Institute of Agronomy and Biotechnologies, representatives of the higher education minister and the mayor - and the student mutuelle, the association in charge of students' welfare.

Gabonews said that every year for the past decade, older students had been subjecting new ones to "all kinds of atrocities, to force them to abandon their courses, change university or repeat classes".

To restore calm to the university campus, said Gabonews, the committee agreed to: ensure the internal rules of the university were 'rigorously' obeyed; carry out disciplinary proceedings when necessary; appoint third-year student officers to keep order in university halls of residence; and require students to organise and hold their meetings in a 'scrupulously respectful' manner.

The committee would also re-examine the internal rules of the mutuelle, to define its rights and, especially, tighten up its responsibilities, reported Gabonews. It ordered the mutuelle to write an open letter of apology to teachers and administrative staff and set up a reception service for new students.