Teachers arrested for allegedly administering corporal punishment at Abbottabad school
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Two teachers from an Abbottabad government school were arrested and sent to jail on Friday by a judicial magistrate after a video surfaced of them allegedly administering corporal punishment to a girl, police said.
After the video, which appeared to show the teachers from Government Primary School Karimpura kicking and dragging the uniform-clad girl by her hair, went viral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan took notice of the incident and ordered the suspension of the pair.
Subsequently, Abbottabad's deputy commissioner set up a three-member committee to probe the incident.
The chief minister's adviser, Ziaullah Bangash, confirmed that two teachers, including the head of the school had been suspended and that an explanation from the district education officer had been sought. "Corporal punishment of students will not be tolerated," Bangash said.
District Education Officer Samina Altaf Shah, while speaking to the media, said that she had also been tasked by Secretary Arshad Khan to look into the matter. She said that recommendations, including the transfer of the rest of the school staff, have been sent to the secretary and that "the process will be completed within a day".
She said she has also recommended that a focal person be appointed for the redressal of such issues in the future.
District Police Officer Abbas Majeed Khan Marwat also took notice of the incident and ordered a police investigation into the matter, following which District Superintendent of Police Yaseen Khan Janjua formed a police probe team.
A case was registered at the Cantt police station by Station House Officer Tahir Saleem on the complaint of the girl's father under Section 34 (punishment for corporal punishment) and 37 (punishment for violence) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act. Soon after, the two teachers were arrested.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), a copy of which is available with DawnNewsTV, the victim is a student of first grade. Her father stated in the FIR that for the past 20 days, the girl had been reluctant to enter the school.
On the day of the incident, the father said, his daughter was again resisting entering the school premises when a teacher emerged, grabbed the girl by her hand and forced her inside. The gate was then shut behind them, he said.
The girl's elder sister heard her screams from the inside and tried to go in but was not allowed, the father added.
It is pertinent to mention here that corporal punishment is a penal offence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Child Protection and Welfare Act 2010.
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On DawnNews
Apr 19, 2019 10:04pm
Shocking. Education minister Shafqat Mahmood please note.
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Apr 19, 2019 10:17pm
A shameful and unforgivable act on part of a person serving the "Noblest Cause", of educating human beings!
Formalities like, FIR, Action, Committee, Reports will be unheard of just after few days, weeks and months! They are women of resources; called "Push and Pull", the only merit to get them the job!
Could any one publish their Academic Back Ground, and the process through which they both qualified as persons of merit to get the Job!
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Apr 19, 2019 10:20pm
Shame on all of those teachers who commit physical and verbal abuse at students.
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Apr 19, 2019 10:24pm
Why they are targeting whole school?
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Apr 19, 2019 10:29pm
Can't believe this video clip. Horrible show of a medeival behavior. The teacher must be sent back to training. The poor girl, I am sure,now in a mental trauma. Very sad.
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Apr 19, 2019 10:30pm
This will happen when teachers are not professionally trained.
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Apr 19, 2019 10:35pm
Very sad.
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Apr 19, 2019 10:41pm
Corporal punishment belongs to the dark ages... Justice!
Gordon D. Walker
Canada
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Apr 19, 2019 10:42pm
So sad .. people don't want naya Pakistan ..
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Apr 19, 2019 11:02pm
If a child is not willing to go to school then it is a sign that she/he has a fear of someone or something in the school, such as sexual violation or physical abuse or mental abuse. Teachers at all level 9f educations need to be trained not to participate in such behavior and also identufy and report such incidents to a assigned person in confidentiality. Pakistan needs to fix its old child abusive treatment at schools and at homes as this contribute to adulthood anxiety and depression and an unproductive generation. Such children also do not have confidence to provide constructive leadership when they grow up and show similar abusive behavior to their and other children in their adulthood lives.
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Apr 19, 2019 11:06pm
I remember my first day at school 4 decades ago in Karachi, i was 5 years old, first day/first hour in school assembly, i was slapped so bad on the face that I fell down on the ground, I had made the mistake of not keeping the line straight. Can’t forgot even after several years.
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Apr 19, 2019 11:06pm
Children are the future of our nation. This is how we are treating and training our future....continue like this and Pakistan will have a dark, depressing and hopeless future.
Nurture these kinds, give them love, provide them confidence, educate them, support them....please! Invest in them, this means we are investing in our future.
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Apr 19, 2019 11:29pm
Great. Hope they get 10 years hard labor breaking rocks in the jail yard. Poor girl.
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Apr 19, 2019 11:32pm
This practice of corporal punishment is unfortunately a very common practice in most schools of South Asian countries in general and Middle Eastern nations in particular.
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Apr 19, 2019 11:40pm
I wished these actions were taken at my time which was 1969 in Abbottabad Public School. My house administrator of Sir Syed House Hafiz Shab hit me on my hands with cane so hard I had to go to the doctor.
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Apr 19, 2019 11:57pm
After watching the alleged video, truth be told, this is how our mothers treat kids when they do something wrong, putting the involved teachers in jail and sacking them of their job just shows the power of video. Although, it's not the right way to treat pupils but it happens everyday in every city.
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Apr 20, 2019 12:05am
The horror is unbearable. How can you beat a girl who is 4 or 5 years old like this.
This is unacceptable. there is something wrong with the system. Nobody and I mean nobody should be beaten in a school.
I hope these teachers are given exemplary punishment.
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Apr 20, 2019 12:20am
@Ayaan, couz everyone me knew. Knowing and not stopping is equal in crime...
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Apr 20, 2019 12:22am
Sack the teacher immediately and ban for future teaching job. NayaPakistan don't need teacher like this.
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Apr 20, 2019 12:33am
@Prateik: Shafqat Mahmood and PTI is too busy getting hold of previous govt choors and dakus. TV talk shows are more important.This issue can wait.
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Apr 20, 2019 12:45am
Education minister, Mr.Shafqat, we were supposed to see these kind of mistreatment vanished by now under your ministry! Sad, t is increasing day by day in schools and madressa. Can’t you send strong letters to all the schools stopping them from punishing the kids? Where are the rules sir?
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Apr 20, 2019 12:57am
Good job!
Use of violence against children in any form what so ever is strictly prohibited in all democratic and civilized countries.
Dignity of child must be protected and promoted under all circumstances. However with some exception, use of violence or corporal punishment,should be curbed and only.parents and teachers may be partially allowed to exercise their supervisory authority to correct children by giving mild punishment like scolding or cenure for the purpose of making them resposible and law abiding citizen! Harrasing, beating and taunting , abusing, molesting a child sexually or otherwise must be declared offence .
Unfortunately in .Pakistan almost everyday the complaints about mishanling or absuing childern circulate on.social media but a few are addressed but remain inconclusive police does not show its interest in.such incidents and treat them as a routine and an order of the day
MNAs and MPAs should takeup this delicate issue as first and foremost responsibilty and legislate appropiate laws to.avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.
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Apr 20, 2019 01:26am
@Ayaan, While it’s not right to target the whole school, in this case almost all teachers and staff knew what’s happening. And no one tried to stop or tried to inform authorities. Good decision. There will be a bad apple but it’s jobs of others to ensure that cruelty does not happen on innocent kids.
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Apr 20, 2019 01:56am
How can a five or six year old be “responsible “ for anything?
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Apr 20, 2019 02:02am
Those were the days when we were given punishment for not doing the Homework.
Teachers would ask the student KAN PAKRO and do situps,.This KAN PAKRO punishment at that time. has been found out to be therapy for enhancing your brain activity and treatment for Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD)
The only change is that you have o cross your hands to hold your ear lobes.
Do this about 10-15 repetitions, a few times a day. You will enhance your Brainpower according to a report on NY CBS news channel aired recently
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Apr 20, 2019 04:10am
Police should administer the same punishment on these two teachers in public.
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Apr 20, 2019 04:41am
With a video, it is not just an accusation. It is inhumane behavior by women who clearly don't respect the child student. They should be given a few lashes each, and barred for ever teaching again. The psychological damage lasts a lifetime.
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Apr 20, 2019 04:42am
@Pakistani , agree.
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Apr 20, 2019 04:45am
@Ostrich Head In Hole., bar them from any job with children permanently, and let the police and courts take swift action.
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Apr 20, 2019 04:46am
@IdRecall , well said.
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Apr 20, 2019 04:46am
@Angan Tera, psychological mark remains for life.
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Apr 20, 2019 04:48am
@Viq saad, this is more about how the teachers were raised.
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Apr 20, 2019 04:49am
@Prateik, entering a Pakistan citizens portal complaint in such cases will suffice.
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Apr 20, 2019 05:22am
The people who are supposed to shoulder the responsibility of moulding the future of the society should have high moral values.
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Apr 20, 2019 05:25am
@Angan Tera, to expose this problem, their needs to be a national portal.
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Apr 20, 2019 05:48am
Even a stern voice or demeanour can inhibit learning as children need confidence not fear to express themselves and be creative. I still remember going to madrassa first time and was terrified by the angry looking teacher. How are kids supposed to learn in such environments
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Apr 20, 2019 05:54am
Not only this incidence, performance of the school should also be assessed by investigating committee.
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Apr 20, 2019 06:40am
@Angan Tera, v disturbing. I m a sensitive teacher and seeing your comments tears came to eyes.
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Apr 20, 2019 06:59am
First we heard the said teacher's are suspended & now they are send to jail after few days when the whole incident is cooled down they will be at their respective jobs. Resulting, "No change in the behaviour of teacher's" regarding corporal punishments.
Instead of taking action against the teachers, In my opinion the strict action would be taken against the, Top management i.e DC, DEO , DDEO & ADO by removing them from their current positions, which fails to administrate/monitor/deliver in their perspective district institutions.
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Apr 20, 2019 07:08am
Criminals have became teachers and showing the hooliganism and criminal behavior in the helpless kids instead of educating them and make them a better citizens of Pakistan- shame on these teachers
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Apr 20, 2019 07:13am
This is not something new. Growing up I went to a very good catholic school, but corporal punishment was not only common but a regular part of the system. Several developed countries don't inflict this kind of terrible ordeal on their children and are not only doing well, but leaps and bounds ahead. Please punish anyone who abuses children be it in schools or at home.
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Apr 20, 2019 08:43am
And yet no one will punish Mubeen Aly Ismaeel of Inspire Karachi because he is well connected, despite having numerous student testimonies against him.
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Apr 20, 2019 08:58am
I hope she will get the deserving punishment as usually cases never progress more than sacking, and the formation of action committee. Both the teachers should be given legal punishment and the rest of the school staff should be terminated from their jobs. My sympathies are with the poor girl, and with all those who have been abused and suffered in silence.
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Apr 20, 2019 09:03am
Communication gap is a big problem in our society, when the poor girl showed resistance to go to school then why her parents didn’t try to know the reason. May be they could have saved her from abuse a bit earlier.
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Apr 20, 2019 03:00pm
Install CCTV cameras In classes around the country ..This is not corporal punishment , this is child abuse and grave physical abuse..
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