Boy stabbed with pencil in school, father claims

The father of a Year Seven student in Macuata who claims his son was injured in school has hit out at the Ministry of Education for the unexplained absence of his son’s class teacher.

Aminiasi Turaga, a parent of a student at the school, rushed his son to Wainikoro Health Centre for immediate medical treatment after he was reportedly stabbed with a pencil last Wednesday.

Mr Turaga claimed an argument broke out between his son and another student around 1:30pm. He alleged the head boy then stabbed his son’s right leg with a pencil.

“My son said his class teacher was absent for three days, and most of the time the classes were unsupervised,” Mr Turaga claimed. “So, he went to the head boy to ask if he could drink water, but he was refused, and then an argument broke between the two.”

“The medical staff had to cut my son’s skin to remove what they called the foreign body (pencil lead) and later stitched it up,” he claimed.

“Teachers are paid to teach and look after the students in school,” he said.

He said the head teacher should have taken action when the teachers were not present.

Mr Turaga said he did not file a complaint with the police because he was preoccupied with ensuring that his son returned to school on Friday.

Several attempts to reach the acting permanent secretary for the Ministry of Education, Timoci Bure, were unsuccessful.

However, when contacted on Friday, the Assistant Minister for Education, Iliesa Vanavalu, said he was in Taveuni attending the Cakaudrove Provincial Council meeting. He advised that divisional education officer, Northern Iliseva Volai be contacted.

Mrs Volai has directed a team to conduct an investigation.