An allegation that a teacher from the Belladrum Secondary School had beaten a student last Friday and fractured his finger was found to be false, an investigation conducted by the Department of Education in Region Five has found.
According to regional officials, the document along with recommendations would be sent to the Ministry of Education.
The Grade 7 student had related to his mother that the teacher injured his finger and she went to the school to enquire. She was reportedly told by the teacher and other students that her son hurt his finger while fighting with another student, but did not believe.
The Schools’ Welfare Officers were called in as well as the police. Reports are that the officers told the woman they would investigate the matter and get back to her.
Officials were then surprised to hear that the parent did not await the outcome of the investigation, but travelled to the East Coast and gave a report to a news channel, which aired it the same day.
Meanwhile according to reports the Grade 7 student had gone into the teacher’s class and started beating another student and the teacher asked him to leave the class.
On his way out, he picked a fight with another child and the teacher put both of them out.
They reportedly fought outside and that was when the student hurt his finger. Instead of admitting that his finger was hurt during the fight, the boy reportedly went back to the teacher and said to her “you see you break meh finger.”
This newspaper was told that when investigators later questioned him he admitted in front of his mother that the teacher did not beat him.
Regional Chairman of Region Five Bindrabhan Bisnauth said he hopes the boy’s mother “would go back to the television station and rescind her untrue tale.”
“When the teachers are at fault we penalise them and when they are not we should support them,” he said.
