Times Of Swaziland: PUPIL SLAPPED BY TEACHER, COLLAPSES

PUPIL SLAPPED BY TEACHER, COLLAPSES
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BY ANDILE NSIBANDE on 08/11/2019 00:58:00


NHLANGANO – A pupil collapsed in class after he was allegedly slapped across
the face by a teacher on Tuesday.
The school where the incident is said to have happened was identified as
Mahlandle Primary School, which is situated around Matimatima, outside
Nhlangano.
Witnesses said other pupils were left in shock as the 15-year-old boy was being
rushed to a nearby health facility.
It could not be immediately ascertained what had angered the female teacher who
allegedly beat up the child, but witnesses said the pupil was struck once with a
hot clap in the face and collapsed thereafter.
Conceded
Some teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, conceded that the Head
teacher of the school, Almon Ntshalintshali, addressed the issue with the
boy’s parents yesterday. This was further confirmed by the pupil’s
grandfather during a telephonic interview yesterday.
“I have spoken to the head teacher about the issue and I will allow the school
administration to address the matter through the right channels,” he said
briefly. The grandfather did not want to dwell much on the issue, insisting that
the school administration was working on it.
The elderly man was, however, apprehensive about speaking to the media over the
incident, saying he was afraid his grandson may end up being victimised at
school if he went public about the issue.
Unwell
It is understood that the grandfather was called by someone from the school to
inform him that the Grade V pupil was unwell and had been taken to hospital.
Information gathered was that the parent went to check on the condition of the
boy and was relieved when he found out that he had become stable after receiving
treatment from the hospital.
The school did not give a clear explanation on why the boy was hit by the female
teacher. Head teacher Ntshalintshali confirmed there was an issue involving a
Grade V pupil. He said the boy was in a stable condition and that he returned to
school yesterday where he sat for some of his exams.
“Coincidentally, we discovered that the pupil was epileptic and he was able to
receive treatment from the hospital,” explained Ntshalintshali.
The head teacher did not want to go into details about the incident, saying they
were addressing the issue with the affected boy’s parents.
Pupils, who spoke to this publication, revealed that there were finger marks on
the boy’s face when he was taken to hospital yesterday which gave an
indication that he might have been hit across the face.
Reported
It was not clear whether the parents had reported the matter to the police or if
there was anyone arrested in relation to the incident.
The Ministry of Education and Training has a clear policy which banned corporal
punishment in schools.
This was further affirmed by Principal Secretary (PS) Bertram Stewart when
approached for comment yesterday.
“We have said this time and again. Teachers are not allowed to beat up pupils
in schools, it is against the law. It shouldn’t happen,” emphasised the PS.