Some children in Swaziland
are dropping out of school because they fear being beaten by their teachers.
Ministry of Education and
Training Inspector of Schools Hubert Dlamini spoke at a meeting of senior
officials of the Ministry of Education and Training and Save the Children
Swaziland in Piggs Peak.
The Swazi Observer (28 September 2017) reported him saying, ‘Children
are scared of going to school in this day and age, in the past children never
dropped out of school in Grade One, but now UN [United Nations] has confirmed
that this anomaly is happening in Swaziland.
‘The truth is, children are
afraid of going to school where their self-esteem is being constantly ridiculed
by corporal punishment or verbal abuse from teachers, who are failing to
connect with their pupils. In the past, teachers would connect with all pupils,
but now we see teachers only connecting with intelligent pupils, this is wrong
and forever injures a child’s development.’
Corporal
punishment was banned in Swazi schools by the Ministry of Education and Training in 2015, but caning
continues. There are many reports from across Swaziland that
pupils have been brutalised by their teachers.
Teachers have now been warned they must abide by the
ban. Schools Inspector Gugu Dlamini, speaking at the
Mphundle High School, said the ministry was worried by reports of pupils getting
injured at school, a place where
they are expected to be kept safe.
The Swazi Observer on Friday (29 September 2017) reported, ‘She
emphasised that the ministry decided to ban corporal punishment as a way to
prevent such incidents where a pupil would be injured.
‘Dlamini said it appeared
that some teachers were frustrated by personal issues, and would vent their
frustrations on the children, injuring them in the process. “Teachers must just
stop this brutality at once and avoid incidents where the ministry will then be
dragged to court after a pupil has been injured,” said Dlamini.’
The Ministry of Education
and Training is conducting workshops for schools inspectors across the kingdom
in what it calls ‘positive discipline’ as an alternative to corporal
punishment.
See also
BOY
LOSES EYE IN ILLEGAL SCHOOL BEATING
CANE
BANNED IN SWAZI SCHOOLS
TEACHERS
BEAT BOYS ON NAKED BUTTOCKS
https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/teachers-beat-boys-on-naked-buttocks.html
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