RUSTENBURG - A North West deputy school principal was arrested for allegedly locking four boys in a strong room, the provincial department of education said on Thursday.
Departmental spokesperson Elias Malindi said the deputy principal of a secondary school in Jericho north of Brits, allegedly locked the boys in the strong room on Wednesday, for bunking classes.
He said worried parents went to the local police station to open a case of missing children after the boys did return home after school.
"Upon hearing from other learners it turned out the four were locked up by the deputy principal in the strong room in his office as a means of punishment for bunking classes at around 2pm.
"The search for the deputy principal to release the learners was in vain the whole day until the door was sawed down around 11pm for their rescue."
He said the deputy principal was served with a precautionary suspension letter.
North West education MEC Mmaphefo Matsemela condemned the incident.
"I strongly condemn with contempt the harsh and inhumane punishment by the deputy principal that is meted against our learners. Punishment ought to be corrective rather than punitive and we deem this as the latter in the department.
"Already we have a team investigating the matter and continuous counselling is being granted to the learners," she said in a statement.