A 12-year-old girl in Swaziland / eSwatini had her fingers broken when
she was caned 25 times across her hand, in the latest case of illegal corporal
punishment used in schools.
The girl at Mkhuzweni Primary
School had failed 25 questions in a test. She had missed classes previously and
was not prepared for the test, the Times of Swaziland reported
on Friday (29 March 2019).
It reported, ‘This resulted in her
sustaining serious injuries such that she fractured some of her fingers.
She was not the only one who was punished as her other classmates received 18-
20 strokes depending on how many questions they did not get right.
‘A teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said other parents came
to complain to the school’s headteacher about the beating of their children.’
The Times said Regional
Education Officer of Manzini Mlimi Mamba confirmed he attended to the case. Deputy
Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni said the
matter had been reported and investigations were ongoing.
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.
In a debate in the Swazi Parliament in March 2017 members called for the
cane to be brought back into schools. The MPs said the positive discipline
adopted in schools was causing problems for teachers because they no longer
knew how to deal with wayward pupils.
There had been 4,556 cases of ‘severe corporal punishment’ of children
in Swaziland’s schools over the previous four years, Star Africa reported in March 2016.
As recently as November 2018 it
was reported police were investigating St Theresa’s Primary
School, Manzini, following an allegation that teachers whipped children to make
them do better in their exams. In June 2018 teachers reportedly
caned every pupil at Mbuluzi High School for poor
performance.
In August 2017 it
was reported boys Salesian High, a Catholic school, were forced
to take down their trousers and underpants to allow teachers to beat them on
the bare buttocks.
See also
Children
fear beatings, miss school
Cane
banned in Swazi schools
Teachers
beat boys on naked buttocks
