The Eastern Cape education department will hold a disciplinary hearing into the conduct of a teacher at a Kariega school after he allegedly struck pupils with a plastic pipe for failing to cover their schoolbooks.
The alleged incident at Hombakazi Primary School last week has raised questions about the prevalence of corporal punishment at state schools.
The concerned father of a grade 4 pupil said this week the teacher had allegedly struck pupils several times on their bare hands on Monday and Tuesday last week for failing to cover their books.
The father, whose name in being withheld to protect the identity of his minor child, had approached the provincial education department’s district office in Kariega on September 13 to file a formal complaint concerning the alleged corporal punishment.
According to him, the teacher, whose name is known to The Herald, openly admitted to hitting the children and even approached him at his home to try persuade him to retract the grievance.
The disgruntled father, who refused to give in to the teacher’s pleas, alleged it was not the first time his 10-year-old daughter had been disciplined physically at the school.
A similar incident allegedly occurred in May 2021, involving another teacher at the school.
Despite sounding the alarm on the previous incident, the father said on Monday that acts of corporal punishment had continued and he was aware of other pupils falling victim.
“I was lenient in the past when she was [allegedly] corporally punished at the school,” the father said.
“I cannot do the same again.
“For it to stop, someone has to be punished. Educators do not have the right to do as they please.
“The education system is governed by laws which do not allow teachers to administer corporal punishment.”
He said his child had arrived home from school on Monday last week visibly distressed.
After he asked her what was wrong, the young girl told him her teacher had “lashed” her twice on the hand for failing to cover a book.
“She said together with other learners they were [hit twice] on the hand for not covering their books.
“I then covered it immediately for her to take back to school on the Tuesday,” the man said.
He claimed that, according to his daughter, some of her classmates who returned to school with their books still uncovered the next day were again hit with the plastic pipe.
This time, they were allegedly lashed four times on their hands.
The father called for the teacher to be suspended, saying it would serve as a deterrent for corporal punishment at the school.
“We can’t have teachers who think they can operate as they [please].”
Provincial education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said corporal punishment had no place in schools.
Mtima said he was only aware that the teacher had visited the parent to apologise for the alleged incident.
Mtima confirmed that a disciplinary hearing into the conduct of the teacher would be held soon.
“It will depend on the presiding officer, [however] there will be a hearing,” he said.
Vuyiseka Mboxela, spokesperson for Eastern Cape education MEC Fundile Gade, said corporal punishment had long been abolished.
“We stand against it and we wish to call on all teachers to stop this act because it sometimes leads to good teachers being dismissed,” Mboxela said.
HeraldLIVE