A DISTURBING video of schoolboys engaged in an altercation with an older man, who appears to be a teacher, has surfaced on social media. The confrontation takes place in a classroom, but exactly where or when is unclear.
The video, which is a little longer than 30 seconds, begins with three boys in school uniform encircling the man, who is dressed in formal wear and a hat. They force him from one end of the classroom to the other as he tries to break free. Several more boys are seen in the background.
The man eventually head-butts one of the boys and breaks free. Words are exchanged between the two and then more boys join in before the video comes to an abrupt end. What happened next is unknown.
While it isn't clear whether the video was taken in KwaZulu-Natal, it was forwarded to the provincial Department of Education. Spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said it would be investigated.
The department has in recent months probed several videos taken at various schools, but they have mainly involved teachers assaulting pupils.
In June, a KwaNongoma teacher was suspended after she was filmed hitting schoolgirls with a stick. And last month, an Nquthu teacher was suspended and charged after he was filmed having sex with girls alleged to be pupils.
In 2014, a 13-year-old schoolboy was expelled from a Joburg high school after he was caught on camera hitting a teacher with a chair and a broom.
Two brothers were suspended from a Western Cape high school after they allegedly tried to strangle their principal earlier this year.
National Teachers Union deputy president Allen Thompson said yesterday teachers were faced with serious challenges. “We've seen many cases that have been reported where learners attacked teachers.”
Thompson said that sometimes resulted in teachers resorting to corporal punishment. “We never encourage our teachers to use any sort of force but the department needs to come up with a clear manual spelling out the alternative measures teachers can take.”