Teacher brushes off mom’s assault claim

An assistant teacher at Burger Right Primary School in Pretoria West could face criminal charges after he allegedly assaulted a 10-year-old pupil with a thick wooden stick that left him severely bruised.

According to information from Ellen Masiya, her son, Amagolo, was late for class on Wednesday because his soccer coach had told him to inform the other players in the team that their match had been cancelled. When he made his way to his class, he was allegedly met by the teacher’s fury.

Beaten on the backside and top of his leg, a very demoralised Amagolo went straight to bed when he got home. Amagolo was allegedly hit more than three times in the same class on different occasions.

“He did not say anything on the day and went straight to bed. In the morning... I saw him dressing very slowly and suspected that something could be wrong,” said Masiya.

Closer inspection revealed that her son’s backside and leg were severely bruised. Masiya wrote in the school diary, asking the teacher not to beat up Amagolo, but she was apparently told to teach her child manners.

She went to the school to try to speak to the teacher. “He had an agreement with children that he would dish out corporal punishment. While we were in a meeting with his head of department, the teacher stood up and walked away, stating he had more important things to do,” she said.

Masiya said she went to the principal to speak to him about the matter and to tell him she was going to lay a charge against the teacher.

“The principal told me that the teacher was young and still needed to be groomed. He then told me that other teachers would hate my child because every time he gets a hiding, he will lay a charge,” said Masiya.

The fuming mother on Friday went to the Department of Education (DoE) to inform officials about what had happened, and also showed them the diary in which the teacher had told her to teach Amagolo manners.

She was alerted to the fact that the teacher had been appointed by the school governing body (SGB) and not the department. “The lady who was helping me at the DoE told me that they can’t dismiss him, because he was not appointed by them, but by the SGB,” she said.

Masiya said it emerged that the teacher didn’t have teaching qualifications.

The Pretoria News called the principal, Wessel Badenhorst, who confirmed that the incident did happen. He said appropriate action was being taken against the teacher.

“We are investigating the case and we have also referred it to the SGB as he was appointed by them. We have also contacted the district department and the teacher is not at school until his hearing has (been) concluded,” said Badenhorst.

The SGB’s deputy chairman, Samuel Chauke, said they regretted the incident and that they would take appropriate action. Asked why a person without qualifications was appointed to teach, Chauke said he needed to find out how it happened.

“We will convene a meeting during the week to address the matter,” said Chauke.

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has asked the school to explain how a person without the necessary qualifications was allowed to teach.

The department also said the assistant teacher was not their employee. GDE spokesman Charles Phahlane said the information they had was that the alleged perpetrator was a University of Pretoria student. “It has also been reported that the alleged perpetrator was allowed to perform teaching duties, notwithstanding the fact that he is neither qualified to teach, nor registered with South African Council for Educators (SACE). In this regard, the school has been directed to forward a written report regarding the circumstances of this person’s presence on the school’s premises and how he was allowed to teach in contravention of the standing regulations,” said Phahlane.

According to the Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998, the alleged behaviour of the teacher could be considered as assault.

“The behaviour complained of could be considered as assault and is regarded as misconduct in terms of sections 17 and 18 of the said act. Section 10 of (the act) prohibits corporal punishment. Any educator employed by the department who is reported to have contravened this provision, is subjected to a disciplinary hearing. Our office is (currently) awaiting a written report from the principal to explain how a person without qualifications and not registered with SACE ended up teaching,” said Phahlane.

Phahlane said Masiya was correct in lodging a criminal case against the teacher. He added that a teacher who administered corporal punishment could, depending on the severity and the circumstances, be dismissed, but those employed by the SGB are reported to SACE. - Pretoria News Weekend