Bruised leg of an 8-year-old boy forced to crawl in sunbake school compound. (-)
The administration of Holy Nation International Primary School said it will take disciplinary measures against a teacher accused of ordering a group of pupils to crawl on their bare knees in a sunbaked school compound, resulting in injuries.
This came after the mother of one of the children urged the Ministry of Education on Friday to investigate the unnamed school staff, who she said used a harsh disciplinary measure against young learners who were only playing.
The woman we have named Poni to conceal her identity said her son was forced to walk on his knees multiple times as a form of discipline for misbehavior after they ran around inside the school.
“The teacher forced him to walk on his knees in the schoolyard in a large area several times, which caused him an injury and wound in his knee that led to inflammation, fever, and headache,” the mother said.
“The teacher said that the reason for the punishment was the chaos and disturbance in the classroom. There were six students, five boys and a girl, and all of them were injured in their knees. I went to inquire about the reason, but I did not find a respectful response from the school.”
It is the second reported incident involving a teacher and a child after a 7-year-old girl sustained similar injuries in Juba’s Al-Baraka suburb in October after a teacher forced her to crawl between the school fence and classroom.
Peter Gatkuoth, founder of the church-owned school, condemned the incident, stating that it is against Christian values of non-violence, while adding that the school will address the issue to ensure students safety and well-being.
Gatkuoth said it is the first time for such incidents and added that the school will call the child’s mother to formally apologize.
“It (the accused) is a female teacher. She confessed that that one happened according to her—that kid; they were playing and climbing up to more than 10 children,” he narrated.
“She gave them a warning, then she caned them. But they continued doing that. Then when she told them to walk on their knees several times, This happened to one of them.”
“I asked them if this is how they discipline the children in school, but they said it was the first time. I told her that was not right and that she shouldn’t do it that way. I will call her together with her sister, and her sister will come, and we apologize.”
“I already gave a strict directive, and also, we also have some administrative actions to be taken against this teacher.”
According to the Teachers Code of Conduct 2012, the Ministry of Education in South Sudan explicitly prohibits physical punishment in schools, including acts such as caning or humiliation.
Teachers are required to use appropriate disciplinary methods and are not permitted to resort to violent discipline measures.
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