A PE teacher has been sacked after she physically
abused an eight-year-old pupil during her lesson. (Getty
Images/File …
A Physical Education (PE) teacher from a top primary school in
the north has been sacked after she tackled a pupil during her
lesson last Thursday.
The female coach, a Chinese national, chased after a Primary 2
boy after he walked out of her volleyball class, reported The
New Paper.
She was said to have wrestled him to the ground in the school's
hall after grabbing him by his hair — all in full view of the rest
of the class of eight-year-olds.
While the school declined to give details of the incident, it
has acknowledged the matter and has conducted an investigation.
The school principal would say only that the coach "admitted to
pulling the pupil's hair".
According to local media sources, the coach also nudged the
pupil's head with her hand and tapped him on the foot.
A parent, who did not wish to be named, said her daughter's
class had been going through a PE lesson on volleyball when the
incident happened.
The victim of abuse allegedly walked out of the class as he
found it "boring and repetitive", she said. The parent added that
the enraged coach then allegedly slapped and kicked the pupil.
But the boy managed to free himself from the coach's grip and
ran off to hide in a nearby toilet.
Another parent, a businessman in his 40s who also declined to be
named, said his son, who witnessed the incident was badly affected
by the violence.
"My son said he told the teacher to stop, but she didn't. He was
so affected that he cried," said the father.
A third mother said her daughter was now "afraid" to attend PE
lessons.
According to counselors, such reactions from children who
witnessed the fracas are understandable.
Addressing the issue, the principal sent an online note entitled
"Care and Well-Being are Fundamental" to parents on Monday.
In the note, the principal reassured parents that "the school
leaders have met up with the coach and the teachers concerned to
establish the facts of the case" and that "the school will take the
necessary actions against any staff member and coach who resorts to
corporal punishment during school lessons".
The principal added that the school has counseled the child
concerned and will continue to work closely with his form teacher
and parent to ensure his well-being.
"We want to assure all parents that your child's well-being is
my key concern… and that we take a serious view of any corporal
punishment in school" he wrote.
However, another parent, a businessman in his 40s who wanted to
be known only as Tan, felt there must have been more to the
incident.
While he disapproved of what the teacher did, he said that it
must have taken "two hands to clap".
"I don't think the teacher would have lost her temper and laid
hands on the boy if he has not made her angry in the first place,"
he said.
Adding that his son has been in the same class as the boy since
Primary 1, Tan also claimed that there have been parents who have
complained to the school about the boy's behaviour.
His claims, however, could not be verified. Attempts to contact
the boy's parents were unsuccessful while the school did not
comment on the child's behaviour.
