Cape Town - A corporal punishment incident at Bloekombos Secondary School has once again placed the spotlight on teacher training to deal with ill behaviour.
In the latest incident, the Kraaifontein school’s music teacher is alleged to have assaulted a group of 13 learners by beating each of them, apparently more than 10 times on the buttocks with a pipe, after they celebrated their choir competition win by drinking liquor.
One learner, who reported the matter after others were fearful, also sent the Cape Times a picture of his buttocks which is visibly bruised and swollen.
According to his aunt, who is also the learner’s guardian, she became aware of the incident on May 30 after her son showed her the pictures of her 16-year-old nephew.
“The incident happened at the weekend and on Monday after arriving from work, my son came with his cousin to inform me he was assaulted.
“I was shocked when my nephew told me he was whipped 17 lashes and the bruises show that he was really hit numerous times.
“I took him to the doctor on Tuesday and waited to see if the teacher of the school would call me to apologise, but there was no communication.
“I was not sure what to do or which channels to report this, but on Saturday (I) wrote to the department of education.
“Yes, the children might have misbehaved but the punishment was too harsh.
“My nephew has withdrawn from the school choir. Hopefully this is thoroughly probed and doesn’t happen again,” she said.
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Western Cape education department spokesperson Millicent Merton said the department was probing the incident and the educator would be formally charged with misconduct.
“The department launched an investigation after receiving a report that learners were assaulted for drinking liquor to celebrate winning a competition.”
Merton said during the 2021/22 financial year, 84 employees in schools across the province were formally charged for assaulting learners.
Director of the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children, Dr Shaheda Omar, said some teachers used the form of violence because they were not equipped and empowered on how to deal with problematic learners or some behaviours.
UCT’s Children’s Institute, represented by the Equal Education Law Centre, said it made submissions as a friend of the court in a matter between the Centre for Child Law and Others, and South African Council of Educators (Sace).
The case centres on how teachers who use corporal punishment, a breach of the law and the code of ethics, should be sanctioned. It was heard that about 200 cases are heard by Sace every year.
“No teacher should be expected to manage complex issues alone, such as sexual harassment, gang violence or substance abuse. These complex problems require a whole school approach,” said Professor Shanaaz Mathews.
The Children’s Institute argued that, before teachers who are found guilty of using corporal punishment return to the classroom, they must be compelled to attend a retraining programme.
Karen Quail from Peace Discipline said teachers need a range of tools, as it was clear that one skill will not fit all situations and different learners responded to different approaches.
Cape Times