Teacher accused of bullying, beating learners

PUPILS at a Phoenix school, north of Durban, claim they are afraid to attend class because they are being bullied by one of their teachers who allegedly calls them free loaders and also beats them with a plastic pipe.

Speaking to the Daily News, an irate parent, who cannot be named to protect his child, said his Grade 9 son was refusing to go to school because of the way his teacher treated them in and outside class.

The parent said the schoolchildren, including his son, were being bullied by this particular teacher – who claims to be a “gangster” and “untouchable”.

“The teacher has declared that he is not scared of anyone, and that he can do anything he likes to anyone at the school because no one can do anything to him or stop him from teaching at the school,” said the parent.

Because of all this behaviour, the pupils were afraid to approach him to discuss lessons, the parent said.

If they do, the parent added, the teacher shouts at them and threatens to beat them.

The teacher, allegedly, carries a PVC pipe with him, and uses it as a weapon to beat the pupils.

The parent also accused the teacher of using swear words and abusive words at the learners, even alleging that they don’t pay school fees and want to be taught for free.

The parent said his son told him that the teacher had called him names such as “rubber man”, saying the pupil did not listen to his instructions, and that was why “he doesn’t have a girlfriend”, and also called them “freeloaders” because they don’t pay school fees.

He also accused the school principal and his teachers of not upholding their duties. “To make matters worse, some teachers teach subjects they are not qualified to teach”.

As concerned parents, at some point they approached the chairperson of the school governing body to resolve the impasse, but nothing came of it. All the chairperson did was take the parents’ concerns back to the accused teacher and the principal, mentioning the name of the son of the complainant, the father said.

“So this teacher started making threats to my son and his class. We also tried to contact the principal who refused to address the matter because of a previous incident of bullying which they are trying to cover up,” the parent said.

There was a lot of bullying going on at the school, he said, adding that other children were facing the same problem but were afraid to come forward. “All we want is for our children to get the best education possible. How can we trust that the teachers will take care of our children at school when they are bullies?” he asked.

Both the teacher and the principal declined to comment on the allegations and referred questions to the department of education.

Responding to the accusations, KZN Education Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the department had sent the circuit inspector to visit the school yesterday to investigate the matter.

“We will not hesitate to take action if it is true,” Mahlambi stressed.