Child suffers physical abuse at school – head teacher apologises!

The head teacher of a primary school in south west Mahe found herself apologizing to a parent after a child was allegedly physically abused. The child a nine year old boy is said to have been beaten by a teacher in class and there were marks all over his back and around his neck. It is also alleged that the teacher used a 1.5 metre ruler to hit the child with.

The concerned relative went to the school and met with the head teacher where she allegedly showed the bruises on the little boy’s back. According to reports received by this newspaper, the head teacher was aghast at what she saw and did not hesitate to apologise sincerely to the relative. She also allegedly begged the relative of the child to not take the matter further and to accept the apology.

The relative of the child is reported as being very upset and fully intends to go to the concerned authorities. Another parent opined that this would be the right thing to do because it involves a child and extreme corporal punishment which is not allowed in schools across the country.

“Its ok to give a child a telling off or to send him outside or in the corner to reflect if he is being inattentive or unruly; but it is never okay to beat a young child especially to this extent. Imagine the trauma this might bring. It could mark a child forever and make him mistrust adults or he may hit back at those smaller than him to vent his anger and frustration. Then we would have bullying issues arising. A teacher ought to know better!” Teachers face many challenges daily and especially with the new normal practices there is a lot of pressure and frustration. However, teaching is a vocation and not just a job and as such those who take it up must be fully committed and able to adapt. Child psychology is an aspect which needs reinforcing in teacher training locally, to make them better prepared to face classroom issues.

The INDEPENDENT newspaper will follow this matter as it evolves.