Pretoria - The Education Department is to send an internal team of investigators and psychosocial support to Kutung Primary School in Soshanguve on Thursday, following claims that two siblings were subjected to abuse.
A distraught father alleged his 11-year-old daughter had been hit on the head with a blackboard duster and his 15-year-old son had been forced to eat food from the floor.
Tshimo Khotsa said the events had left his family in turmoil.
Khotsa said his son, a Grade 6 pupil, arrived late for class and as a result was subjected to treatment that would haunt him for ever.
“The teacher took the tissue my son had used to wipe his nose and threw it on the floor and then told him to go on his hands and knees and pick it up with his mouth. He did this while the rest of the class erupted in laughter, and was then told to throw the tissue in the bin.”
Khotsa said what allegedly followed had left him feeling disgust and anger. “The teacher then threw food from the feeding scheme on the floor and instructed my son to get on to his hands and knees and eat from the floor,” an emotional Khotsa said.
Khotsa’s son returned home and informed him of the events. What made matters worse was that his daughter also allegedly suffered abuse on the same day.
Khotsa said he had to take his daughter to a doctor for pain medication after her teacher allegedly hit her with a blackboard duster for an unknown reason.
“Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life. I had to see my children in an emotional state, humiliated and in pain and this at the hands of people supposed to care for them. This is disgusting. How can they treat children this way?”
Khotsa visited the school on Wednesday to try to speak to the principal, but was referred to a supervisor who, Khotsa said, showed little interest in his complaints.
Education Department spokesman Charles Phahlane said:
“We’re shocked by the allegations and are sending a team to investigate.”
Pretoria News