An Eastern Cape high school teacher has been slapped with a suspension for administering corporal punishment to a pupil.
The teacher will remain on suspension until investigations into the matter and disciplinary processes have been concluded.
This comes after images of a pupil from Sandi High School with a swollen hand from an alleged attack by the teacher appeared on social media.
After 28 years following South Africa’s outlawing of corporal punishment, the Eastern Cape MEC for education, Fundile Gade, denounced schools that continue to administer it.
Dismissal and deregistration
According to Gade, an interdisciplinary team has been set up to look into the claims.
“Both the Amended South African Schools Act [Sasa] of 1996, Section 10, and the South African Council for Educators (Sace) code of professional ethics forbid educators from ever ‘assaulting a learner’, as this is against the law.
“Failure to abide by this has severe implications, including dismissal and deregistration by Sace,” said Gade.
In addition, he urged parents to file a criminal case with the police in any instance where there is physical punishment.
“Even in this case, the department will side with the victim, and her parents, as such, will be encouraged to open a case of common assault with the police, while the department is also continuing with its internal investigation.”
Along with psychosocial help, the victim’s parents will receive counselling and debriefing from the department, according to Gade.
Embarrassment to the sector
“Acts of this nature by our educators seek to embarrass the sector and the profession, simply because educator unions representing educators are signatory to the Sasa of 1996, which abolished corporal punishment and declared it a crime against children.
“We call upon all law-abiding citizens, including educators themselves, to distance themselves from these malicious and barbaric acts of practising corporal punishment.
“Failure to do so may lead to the termination of contracts for those found on the wrong side of the law.”
The department said that the learner and her schoolmates will be involved in educational sessions where they will receive instruction on what to do in the event that something similar occurs again, as well as where to report it.
“This move seeks to restore public faith in the system while encouraging cooperation between educators, learners and parents,” Gade added.
There are better ways to punish children
Matakanye Matakanye, the General secretary of the National Association of School Governing Bodies, said corporal punishment is outlawed and no one is allowed to do it.
“Children must be punished but not by assaulting them, because corporal punishment is an assault. We cannot tolerate this; teachers beating pupils is sending a message that problems are solved through assault,” he said.
Matakanye said a wayward pupil could be suspended, call their parents, go through a hearing process, and if the offence is serious, the school must expel the pupil.
