PRETORIA, Mar 26:
The South African Department of Basic Education will not tolerate
teachers who carry out corporal punishment at schools, says department
spokesman Elijah Mhlanga.
Teachers who found themselves
involved in administering corporal punishment would be reprimanded
accordingly because they know that it is against the law, he said in an
interview with GCIS Radio News here Tuesday.
“They need to adhere to the
current policy that says they need to find alternative ways of
disciplining learners in the classroom. Whatever challenges or whatever
situation they may encounter, they need to follow the regulations that
exist,” said Mhlanga.
His warning came after pupils
from uMbumbulu High School in KwaZulu-Natal Province said they had been
beaten with a plastic pipe by a teacher. The head of the provincial
Education Department Nkosinathi Sishi said an investigation had been
launched into the allegations.
“We warn our teachers that are
still practising corporal punishment that it is an illegal act and it
is not in line with the values of our democracy … and the provision of
schooling in South Africa. No corporal punishment is allowed in our
schools,” said Sishi.
He added that the policy was
clear and that teachers who were found carrying out corporal punishment
would face dismissal and have to pay the possible damages incurred by
litigation.
“We condemn corporal punishment and urge our teachers to desist from this practice,” added Sishi. – BERNAMA
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