Six pupils at Siyamukela High School in Madadeni, Newcastle, were allegedly scalded this week when a teacher allegedly poured boiling water over them as punishment.
This is according to parliament's select committee on education and technology, sports, arts and culture, which expressed concern about the incident.
“Conflicting reports on the incident, in which the teacher allegedly poured boiling water over the learners, indicates that the learners either returned to class late, or were sleeping during class on Tuesday, September 29.
“The committee strongly condemns any form of violence and stringent punishment against learners, irrespective of the reason,” said spokesperson, Felicia Lombard.
She said the committee welcomed the announcement by the SA Council for Educators (SACE) that it would be launching its own investigation into the matter. The committee called on both the KwaZulu-Natal education department and SACE to fast-track their investigations.
The chairperson of the committee, Elleck Nchabeleng, said the punishment was against the law.
“This is not a form of discipline, it is abuse. We will not allow teachers to take out their frustrations on our learners”.
He added that this type of punishment was in contravention with section 10 of the Schools Act, which prohibits corporal punishment on pupils.
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