A mother of a Year 7 student has expressed her distress following an alleged physical altercation involving a teacher at a primary school in Valelevu, Nasinu. The incident reportedly took place around 10 am on a Friday as students were gearing up to celebrate International Mother Language Day.
According to claims, the child was engaged in a fight with another student when a teacher intervened. Witnesses allege that this intervention escalated to the teacher reportedly assaulting the student in front of the school canteen. The boy returned home with visible injuries, including a black eye that had turned purple, prompting concern for his well-being. It was reported that the canteen staff provided him with a cold juice bottle to help alleviate the swelling.
The situation was particularly alarming for the parents, who were unaware of the incident until their son arrived home later that day. The mother expressed her frustrations, highlighting the lack of communication from the school regarding her child’s injury. “If an injury is sustained in school, the first point of contact should be the parents. Why were we not informed? When I went to ask for the head teacher’s contact, they couldn’t even provide a number. What if something had happened on his way home? I was not there,” she stated.
Additionally, the mother suggested that her son file a police report; however, the child reportedly felt traumatized and was apprehensive after being accused of dishonesty by a police officer regarding the incident.
The Ministry of Education has announced that it is waiting for a formal report on the incident before taking any further action. This situation highlights the critical need for schools to maintain open lines of communication with parents to ensure the safety and well-being of students. As authorities investigate, there is hope that appropriate measures will be implemented to prevent such incidents in the future, thus fostering a safer environment for all students.