If a pupil is not Catholic and doesn’t want to attend Mass, let them enrol elsewhere – Priest
A LUSAKA based Catholic priest has backed the decision by management at Matero Boys Secondary School, a grant-aided Catholic mission school run by the Society of Mary, to suspend more than 200 pupils who absconded from a scheduled day of prayer last Thursday.
The pupils are said to have stayed away from the prayers despite being informed about the event in advance by school authorities.
Management has since barred the affected pupils from writing their end of term tests as part of disciplinary action.
School manager Fr Cullistus Jeje said the suspension is in line with the institution’s disciplinary procedures.
Commenting on the matter, Fr Arthur Ntembula said Catholic schools like any other institutions operate under specific rules and expectations including participation in Mass and other spiritual programmes organised by the school.
“If your child is not Catholic and doesn’t want to attend these, he or she shouldn’t have enrolled there in the first place,” said Fr Ntembula.
Meanwhile, many former pupils and members of the public who attended mission schools have also weighed in on the matter, saying participation in church related programmes has always been part of school life in such institutions.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, April 9, 2026
Education is now a human rights issue and government is a stakeholder even in schools run by faith-based organizations like the Catholic schools.The Catholics are ready and willing to accept government funding but will deny innocent Zambians education because of doctrine
Please chase pupils who are confessed Catholics for not following your doctrines and leave non-Catholics alone
The solution is simple. If you don’t like the way the catholics approach to education, don’t take your child to their schools.
Don’t bring anarchy to Catholic schools. They mould their students in a particular way which, in my view, benefits the nation.
By the way, I am not a catholic, but I admire their impact in the medical and educational sectors.