Ogun teacher brutalises three-year-old for inability to write

The child; Ogun education commissioner, Prof. Abayomi Arigbadu

• Victim falls ill, mother slams school

A woman, Elizabeth Ebere, has accused a teacher at the Adeoye International School, Iyana-Iyesi, in the Ota area of Ogun State, of assaulting her daughter, Chizaram, aka Zara.

Elizabeth said after the flogging, the three-year-old took ill, adding that she had been on medication since the incident happened.

She told PUNCH Metro that the teacher, identified only as Mrs Taiwo, brutalised her daughter for refusing to write.

According to her, efforts to get the attention of the school management to attend to the matter proved abortive until she made a post about the incident on  Facebook.

She said, “I was coming back from the hospital on October 28 when the teacher called me; but I did not pick, so she sent a message to me on WhatsApp that Zara did not want to write so she flogged her and I said Okay, thinking she flogged her on the palm.

“When my daughter came back from school, she said her teacher flogged her and she showed me her legs. I was shocked to see the marks on her legs. I wondered why she would flog a child that writes on a normal day just because she decided not to write that day.”

The 23-year-old said when she called the school to report the case, the headmistress countered her that teachers in the school would not beat pupils.

She said her husband, who was livid at the sight of the bruises on the child, called the teacher and the headmistress, but they did not take their calls.

Elizabeth said, “My daughter did not go to school the following day because she was running a temperature and we kept calling the school but they didn’t pick and the school did not bother to check up on her.

“On Monday, my daughter went to the school and a picture was sent to the PTA’s WhatsApp group showing how the school jam-packed children because they were doing Colour Day. My daughter, who was already sick from the beating she received from the teacher, was among them. So, I commented that they should try to follow the COVID-19 rules, but nobody replied to me.

“Last Friday, my daughter started running a temperature again and I gave her first aid treatment and took her to a hospital on Saturday. The doctor said she had a viral infection, so I went to the school’s WhatsApp platform and told them that my child was sick, but they practically ignored me and was attending to other matters in the group.

“When I saw that the school was not responding to any of my messages, on Sunday morning, I told them I was going to handle it my way and I left the WhatsApp platform and made a post about the incident on my Facebook page.”

She noted that after the post, the school contacted her and sought details of the incident, promising to get back to her.

Elizabeth said shortly afterwards, a group of teachers from the school visited her on Monday to beg.

“I told them that the school lacked empathy, good customer relationship and immediately, a lady among them told the others that they should go since I said they lacked empathy.

“One hour later, another group came from the school and apologised and said when the thing happened they wanted to come but my mum told them not to come and I asked them why they would call my mum when I am the mother of the child. The situation has been stressful for me because of the health of my daughter; she’s taking injections and other medication,” she added.

The headmistress of the school, Ayoola Olusola, said the school had tendered a public apology to the family of the victim, adding that the affected teacher had also been suspended.

She said, “Since the issue came up, we did all we were supposed to do; the family called that they had forgiven the school, but yesterday we made a public apology and met with the family and the matter was resolved.

“We are sorry about the whole incident and the school has taken steps on the teacher concerned. She was suspended last week and a committee was set up to decide her final fate. We have a five-man committee working now and by tomorrow, the details will be out.”

Copyright PUNCH.