Pictures of Burundian students celebrating the end of exams by tearing up their uniforms have caused so much of a stir they even came up at this week’s national security meeting.

The students, posing for the cameras in their ripped clothes, were also marking the end of their high school careers.

The photos from one school in the main city of Bujumbura were widely shared on social media, prompting the main teachers’ association to condemn them.

In an audio recording circulating online, the headmaster of the school involved threatened to withhold the students’ leaving certificates because of their “misconduct”.

President Pierre Nkurunziza also condemned their behaviour when the issue came up at their national security meeting on Tuesday, his spokesman Jean-Claude Karerwa told the BBC.

But Mr Karerwa said the president felt this was an issue that should be dealt with by parents.

“Denying a diploma for such behaviour could be too severe,” he added.