Almost 10 students from Queen’s College were made to unbelt their trousers in a flogging incident on Thursday that has attracted the attention of education officials and the outrage of some parents.
The News Room understands that the students’ belts were used to administer corporal punishment by a senior teacher of the school.
A senior official at the Ministry of Education confirmed the incident but could not provide details of what transpired.
The News Room was informed that the teacher has since been sent on administrative leave, with pay, as the school’s Board launches an investigation into the report.
This is in keeping with the regulations that govern the administering of corporal punishment in schools.
In keeping with that same regulation, the school’s Board will also have to submit a report to the Chief Education Officer (CEO) within the next 48 hours.
While details are sketchy, the News Room was told that the students were dealt lashes by the senior teacher. The News Room was told that the belts were put together by the teacher to make a single flogging tool.
While we could not immediately confirm the ages of the students or the grades to which they belong, they are said to be all boys.
Ministerial Guidelines of 2002 state that corporal punishment must be administered only by the head teacher, deputy head teacher, or designated senior teacher and only for certain offenses, including fighting and the use of indecent language.
Boys should be punished on their hands or buttocks, girls on their hands.