A GRADE 1 pupil at Gillitts Primary School was allegedly hit four times by her teacher, which caused her to fall and cut the side of her face on the side of a desk.
According to the father of the six-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, the incident occurred on 30 May and was confirmed by his daughter’s peers. “The teacher did not report to the principal or even phone us to tell us what had happened. He did not even bother to do first aid on my daughter but instead he let her go home with an open, untreated wound .My daughter went to the principal and reported the matter,” said the concerned dad.
The principal, Arti Jadoo, later called the parents and informed them that their child was injured at school and called for a meeting the following morning. “My daughter arrived home and her eye was swollen and the wound was very red and open. Her mum phoned me to bring some antiseptic ointments and band aid to apply to the wound. I also bought some paracetamol for pain relief because she was complaining of a headache and pain from the cut,” said the father.
The parents met with the principal and they were informed of the incident and immediately afterwards went to open a case at the Hillcrest SAPS. The couple were advised by a member of the local SAPS to first try to solve the matter without opening a case. Together with the police officer, the girl’s parents went back to the school and met with the teacher, principal and two other school officials. “The teacher said he didn’t hit my child and that she fell in the classroom while running. We both saw that we were not arriving at any conclusion but during the meeting he said he is willing to foot the bill for my child’s treatment and he was going to call us,” said the dad. He took his daughter to see a doctor in Pinetown later that afternoon where she was given medication for the pain and to apply to the wound.
“The day passed and he didn’t phone to ask how the child was doing or to follow up on his promise to help with the bills. So I decided to open a case at the Hillcrest Police Station,” said the girl’s father. “On Saturday, 9 July, the teacher finally called saying that he was sorry, it was a mistake and asked if we could please accept his apology and he will fulfil his promise of taking care of the expenses and begged us to drop the case,” said the dad.
The family agreed to forgive him and drop the charges and met with the prosecutor but were told the case could not be dropped as it was now in the hands of the state. “”We did not hear from the teacher again,” he said.
The father and daughter went to a hearing at Truro House in Pietermaritzburg on 28 July and to recount their stories of the incident. “They started with the teacher in a separate room. We were told that the teacher had pleaded guilty so there was no need for my daughter and I to be interviewed anymore and we could go home,” said the father.
The next day the father received a call to notify him that the teacher had changed his plea and said he did not hit the child. “He thought it was a hearing for another child. That’s why he pleaded guilty. So I had to go back again with my daughter for another hearing. I can’t go there again as it is costing us money, We send our children to learn and to be protected by their teachers. But the opposite happened and the systems that are supposed to support the learner and the parents are letting us down,” said the father.
Gillitts Primary School’s Governing Body chairman, Mohommed Baig, responds:
I was deeply saddened when informed of the incidents of corporal punishment, given that the principal Ms A Jadoo and her staff have gone far beyond the call of duty, to transform a once dysfunctional school, to a school that provides excellence in education. We have earned the respect of our sponsors, department officials and parents hence we have learners who travel from afar to attend our school. The principal did telephonically inform both parents immediately of the incident and she kept in daily contact with the parents enquiring about the child’s well being during the child’s period of absence. In both cases concerning this educator, the principal has followed protocol in accordance with the policy of The Department of Education and has submitted all relevant documentation for further intervention. The handling of serious misconduct, according to the SA Schools Act lies in the hands of the employer, which is the DOE and not with the school principal or SGB.
The Department of Education has not provided comment regarding the incident.
