At least six teachers at different schools in the Eastern Cape are under investigation for assault and corporal punishment. This was revealed by provincial education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima this week.
Mtima told GroundUp that three other teachers, facing the same offences, were dismissed last year and another one resigned earlier this year.
The issue was brought to the fore two weeks ago when three matriculants at Huku Senior Secondary School in Mandileni village in KwaBhaca, formerly known as Mount Frere, accused the principal of beating them after they missed an early class.
One of the learners, an 18-year-old girl, was injured, and photos of her wounds and severe bruising were shared on social media, with demands that the education department intervene.
It is understood that the grade 12 learners were expected to attend a class at 6 am, but they failed to attend, stating that it was too early as the roads were still dark and dangerous at that time. This did not convince the principal who allegedly hit them on the hands and legs with a hose pipe.
“Corporal punishment was banned years ago. We have been telling teachers to stop assaulting learners but they seem not to understand the consequences of their action,” Mtima said. He said that the principal has been “placed on precautionary suspension, pending the investigation”.
The injured learner’s mother, whose name has been withheld to protect the teenager’s identity, said she did not live with her daughter, who rented a room about 1km from the school.
The mother said she had been contacted by the principal who had explained what happened. “He told me not to worry.” But when she got to her daughter, she found the injuries were serious and her daughter could barely walk.
“Most injuries were on her legs. I don’t know what kind of punishment that was. It’s like he was fighting with the kids. I would have understood if the injuries were on her hands, but the legs, I don’t understand at all,” she said.
The mother said she is waiting for the outcome of the department’s investigation and hopes it will take action. “I’m a domestic worker. I won’t have time to go to court. I just hope the department will see the photos and take action,” she said.
The mother said her daughter returned to school after a week but is still traumatised and refuses to talk about the incident.
Malibongwe Ntame, provincial secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union, said the union supports the department’s stance to do away with corporal punishment.
Equal Education Researcher Stacey Jacobs, a researcher at Equal Education, said that although corporal punishment is banned in schools, research shows that it is still used as a form of discipline, with a significant proportion of school violence reported by learners linked to corporal punishment by teachers.
Jacobs said it is important for teachers to be trained in alternative methods of discipline. She said the Department of Basic Education’s Protocol to Deal with Incidents of Corporal Punishment in Schools provides clear guidance to officials at the school, district, and provincial levels.
Jacobs said the protocol can also be used by parents, caregivers and learners.
“They can also report the incident to the SAPS to open a case of assault against the teacher in question. Incidents of corporal punishment should also be reported to the South African Council of Educators, so the implicated educator can be investigated and disciplined accordingly.”
Affected learners and parents could also contact the Equal Education Law Centre, she said.
This article first appeared in @GroundUp
