A grade four pupil at Babambeni Primary School in Pumula North suffered serious injuries after his teacher assaulted him for not submitting his homework on time.
The 11 year old boy who cannot be named had to seek medical attention at a private health facility on Wednesday.
The teacher only identified at Ms Nyoni allegedly used an old fan belt to beat up the boy on his back and buttocks, causing serious injuries.
Narrating his ordeal, in the presence of his mother, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, he said the teacher assaulted him and a group of other pupils after they failed to submit their work for marking.
“We failed to submit our work for marking and the teacher beat us up. She made us bend our backs and she beat us up with this belt,” he said, as he played with the belt the teacher used on them.
The minor`s mother said she discovered that her son had visible marks on his back and right arm and she confronted the school authorities.
“I went to the school around 5pm to look for the headmaster. Unfortunately, he was not there, I found Ms Nyoni, the one who assaulted my boy.”
“I asked her why she had hurt him and she told me that l cannot teach her how to punish pupils as she had been in the profession for 20 years,” narrated the mother.
The minor was then taken to Bulawayo Casualty Centre where the doctor confirmed that he had suffered soft tissue injuries.
Contacted for comment, the headmaster, Mr Wilbert Mudonki said he has not yet received any report on the matter.
High Court Judge Justice David Mangota in 2017 outlawed corporal punishment against children at schools or at home by teachers, parents, and guardians, saying the practice is a contravention of the country’s supreme laws.
