EVATON. – A concerned mother has called out the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) for not providing feedback to her regarding an incident involving her five-year-old son in Grade 1.

The Mojala-Thuto Primary School learner was injured in February after a teacher allegedly hit him on the head with papers while she had a pair of scissors in her hand. As a result, the child sustained an injury on the head.

Speaking to Ster North, the mother said she had been alerted about the incident on the morning of February 5. “The deputy Principal of the school arrived just after 09:00 to alert me that my son had been injured at school. I then got into her car and we took my son to Levai Mbatha Clinic. He was bleeding and in pain.”
The mother said that on arrival at the clinic, they were told that the boy would have to be stitched.

“At the time, I was too afraid to look at the wound but I got the courage to have a look after we had returned home from the clinic. I was shocked to the size of the injury. I subsequently went to the school to seek answers. I met with the principal who told me that she was busy with a report to the department regarding the incident. She then told me that the teacher would get a chance to explain how my child got injures and I would also get the opportunity to have my say. She said that the investigation would be undertaken by the department.”

The mother says the explanation she got from the school was that the whole thing was an accident. “Since this happened, I have not heard anything from the department. I have gone to the department multiple times with no answers.”

The mother says she is concerned about the child’s well-being following the traumatic incident.

GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona says, “GDE is aware and deeply concerned about the allegations brought forward against the educator. We take the safety of all our learners very seriously and confirm that necessary disciplinary action will be taken accordingly, pending the outcome of the investigations.”

Mabona said the GDE always warns educators about the danger of this misconduct as a violation of the Code of Discipline, as well as professional code of conduct.

“We appeal to our educators to refrain from all types of misconduct and focus on learning and teaching. Educators should lead by example to ensure that learners mirror their conduct in creating safe school environment, conducive for effective learning and teaching.”

Mabona revealed that the department’s Psycho-Social Support team was dispatched to the school to provide the necessary support.