Kumasi: Teacher ‘roasts’ buttocks of SHS student with hard object

A second year Visual Arts student of the Islamic Senior High School at Kumasi in the Ashanti region has been seriously scathed following a severe caning by a teacher.

The victim, who has been left with a rounded red scar on his buttocks, says he was caned alongside ten others for talking in class by one Mr Amaning.

According to him, it is unclear what the teacher used in caning them, but the flat hard object was wrapped with a cloth, which left all of them with harsh bruises and blood stains in the shorts.

The matter has been reported to the Suame Divisional Police Command for onward action.

In March 2018, the Ghana Education Service (GES) warned that teachers in both private and public schools who inflict Corporal punishment on students would be appropriately dealt with per the guidelines of the service.

In a statement signed by the then Director-General, Jacob A. M. Kor, he said “it has come to their notice that the ban on corporal punishment is not being enforced in schools.”

“We wish to indicate that Corporal punishment in our institutions is illegal and would not be tolerated in any form”

The Service explained that “The directive is in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the right of the child (CRC), which was corrected in Ghana in 1990, and the Children’s Act of 1998 (Act

560).

“We strongly advise that teachers, Educational Workers and staff of Public and Private would continue to exhibit the best professional conduct throughout the entire process of educational service delivery to pupils and students, without having to resort to the use of corporal punishment”.

According to the GES, it was becoming public knowledge that teachers continued to apply the cane even though the GES had banned the practice.

Concerns are that, there have been instances where in the course of administering corporal punishment, the teachers ended up deforming the pupils.

The Service said it was of the firm belief that there are different ways by which pupils or students could be punished, citing for instance, giving students assignments to do while their mates are playing during break time among others.

When Mr Sulemana, the Headmaster of the Islamic Senior High School was contacted, he said he would prefer to meet the said student and his parents in person so that he ascertain the veracity of the matter.