Durban - The mother of an 8-year-old boy who was allegedly punched in the face by his teacher in Gingindlovu in northern KwaZulu-Natal wants justice for her son.
The woman said her son sustained a head injury after his teacher accused him of copying during a test and then assaulted him.
The provincial Education Department said it would investigate the matter and if the allegations were true, serious action would be taken against the teacher.
The mother of the Grade 3 pupil said she had opened a case of common assault against the teacher in Eshowe last week. The woman said she and her son were still traumatised by the incident since no action was taken against the teacher several weeks after the incident happened on April 15.
She said on that day her son came from school with a bloody shirt.
“I took him to the hospital as he was complaining of a severe headache and was bleeding from his nose. He also had an injury on the top of his head,” she said.
Following that incident her son missed two weeks of school while recovering. He was back at school but still complained of severe headaches.
“Another teacher told me that I should take him for a check up, saying my son complained of headaches in class. I took him for an X-ray and although no injuries were shown, I am worried because he is still complaining of a headache,” she said.
The mother said she was still trying to collect enough money to take her son for a scan. The mother said it was not the first time that her son was beaten up by the same teacher this year. She said that at the beginning of the year the boy complained that the woman had slapped him.
The teacher apologised for the incident and asked to pay for her son’s medical expenses, she said.
“I refused to take the money because I want justice to prevent this from happening to other children.”
She said her neighbour’s child was also beaten up by a teacher at the same school, which meant they were using corporal punishment which was unlawful.
Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said: “If the allegations are found to be true, the department will take serious actions against the teacher.”
Police spokesperson Thulani Zwane said a case of common assault was being investigated and no arrests had yet been made.