Evidence wa ka Ngobeni A principal at a North West middle school is facing the axe after he admitted to beating students for failing to contribute towards the salary of a teacher at the school. This follows a report in the Mail & Guardian last week in which LS Thwane, a headmaster at Montshioa Memorial Middle School near Mmabatho, admitted to having beaten the students (“Corporal punishment for failing to cough up”). This week officials of the North West Department of Education vowed to put a stop to Thwane’s activities. The department said preliminary investigations have found evidence of corporal punishment and abuse of children at the school.
Asked about the alleged beatings last week, Thwane said: “I sometimes lose it. But I seldom use corporal punishment.” Corporal punishment in schools was outlawed more than four years ago, but there are claims that many teachers still resort to it. A representative for the North West Department of Education, Patricia Boekane, said a team of education officials is investigating Thwane’s activities and was set to visit the school this week. The team is expected to present a full report to the head of the provincial education department, who would decide on what further action to take. Boekane said preliminary investigations into the M&G story have revealed disturbing evidence of abuse of power on the part of Thwane, who if found guilty may face dismissal. Students and teachers at the school last week told the M&G that a voluntary teacher hired by Thwane was at the centre of the beatings at the school. The voluntary teacher was invited to teach English subjects to grade six and seven classes. Boekane said Thwane, who this week hired a private bodyguard following the M&G’s story, was lying to students and parents about his activities. The department interviewed some of Thwane’s victims and has confirmed the beatings. Boekane said the department has found that Thwane failed to tell the students that the money was for the voluntary teacher. Instead, Boekane added, the headmaster had lied and threatened students for failing to pay. Among other things, Thwane told the students that the money was intended for a school raffle and that students would win prizes if they paid the money. Teachers claimed this week that Thwane was denying some students the right to write their final examinations for failing to pay the donation. Students said Thwane warned them about his pending action last week in a circular distributed to all students. According to the circular, students who failed to pay R20 would not be allowed to write their final examinations. Most students did pay the amount.