It is alleged that the fight ensued between two pupils while the teacher was out of the classroom.
Durban – An 11-year-old pupil had to undergo surgery at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital after he was stabbed in the head with a pair of scissors after a school fight at Ashdown Primary School, just outside Pietermaritzburg.
According to the boy’s mother, her son was showing signs of recovering, but still had minor problems with the movement of his right fingers.
The incident happened last Wednesday while the class was unattended because teachers were at a meeting with the school principal.
The two pupils were said to be best friends, and the incident has been described as a freak accident.
The victim was rushed to the Edendale Hospital.
On Thursday, with the pair of scissors still lodged in his head, he was transferred to the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital where he underwent surgery to remove it.
The boy’s mother, who could not be named to protect the identity of the child, said it was not clear what led to the stabbing.
KwaZulu-Natal Education Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said they had sent an official to gather details about the incident.
“What happened there was terrible. This was not an incident of bullying because from what we understand, the two pupils are best friends. The children were playing and something went horribly wrong, leading to this tragic situation. It’s not as though they brought illegal items to school, scissors are among the items pupils use in school. We plead with the public to pray for the pupil in hospital to heal, and for the other pupil, too, because he is obviously besides himself as it seems this was just a freak accident,” he said.
In a separate incident, a parent has opened a criminal case against a teacher at Mariannridge Primary School in Pinetown for allegedly using corporal punishment on his son.
The parent, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his child, alleged that in the past two months his 8-year-old son had reported that he had been assaulted by the teacher.
The first incident was in January and the second on February 13, the father said.
The father alleged the teacher had hit his son with a PVC plastic pipe on his hand, with a ruler on his head and neck, and with an open hand, leaving bruises on his body.
“The teacher implicated in this is not a new teacher, she is a seasoned teacher who should know that corporal punishment is against the law,” he said.
“On Thursday last week, after I complained about the use of corporal punishment, my son was sent home with a note that accused him of bullying other children at the school,” he said.
He said following these events, his son was afraid to go to school, and he had to persuade him to return.
The parent accused the school of impairing his son’s dignity, and threatened to take further legal action against the department and the teacher in her personal capacity.
Mahlambi said the department would investigate the matter.
“Corporal punishment is illegal and the department will take steps against any teacher found to be using it,” he said.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said a case of assault was being investigated by Mariannhill police.
