Pretoria - A Gauteng educator, who was caught on camera hitting a learner, has been put on precautionary suspension by the Provincial Education Department.
The cell phone video footage, which was filmed by a fellow learner, showed the educator beating a Grade 8 learner with a piece of hosepipe for arriving late at school. It also showed him kicking the learner while he was lying on the ground.
Gauteng Education spokesperson Charles Phahlane said the department was horrified by the images on the video footage. He reminded all teachers that corporal punishment was outlawed by the Constitution and the South African Schools Act.
"Educators have been trained in alternative methods of discipline which ought to be applied in schools," Phahlane said.
He noted that the department has also received a report of another instance of corporal punishment at the same school and this will be investigated as part of a wider probe into the school.
The department appealed to all learners to come forward and report instances of abuse in their schools so that appropriate steps can be taken to address this.
