Ministers react to student’s battering
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Later on The Citizen learnt that the Minister in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Authorities) Mr George Simbachawene had demoted the school’s headmistress Ms Margreth Haule for failing to report the incident to the police.
Dar/Mbeya. After a video showing trainee teachers at a Mbeya school beating up a student went viral the minister for Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Prof Joyce Ndalichako has ordered for their expulsion.
Later on The Citizen learnt that the Minister in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Authorities) Mr George Simbachawene had demoted the school’s headmistress Ms Margreth Haule for failing to report the incident to the police.
The video shows three trainee teachers from the University of Dar es Salaam, Mwalimu Nyerere Education College and Dar es Salaam University College of Education (names withheld) beating up a student at Mbeya Day Secondary School.
Prof Ndalichako described the incident that occurred September 28, as unethical, cruel and criminal adding that the trainee teachers had lost their opportunity to complete their studies.
“What they did was criminal and they will be dealt with in accordance to the laws of the country,” Prof Ndalichako told reporters.
Contacted for comments UDSM vice chancellor Prof Rwekaza Mukandala said he was on leave and was not aware of the incident.
Home Affairs Minister Mr Mwigulu Nchemba condemned the fracas and directed relevant authorities to arrest the suspects who had fled shortly after committing the offence.
On Thursday the school’s headmistress and other teachers were interrogated by the police for several hours as confirmed by Mbeya Regional Police Commander Dhahiri Kidavashari.
Narrating the incident, a Form Three student said the drama started unfolding at around 9am on September 28.
According to the student, one of the teachers had decided to punish students who had not turned up for an English test two days earlier, including himself saying: “The teacher ordered those of us who had not done the test to step in front of the class where we all received five strokes of the cane each before being told to do pushups.”
He added, “He then ordered us to kneel down and one student refused citing he had an injury on one of his knees.” The teacher slapped the student who fought back before the latter was dragged to the staff room where the battering took place.
