School Assault Latest: MEC condemns mother’s attack on teacher

North West Department of Education MEC Mmaphefo Matsemela has condemned the actions of a parent who allegedly assaulted a teacher in a school classroom last week.

The parent allegedly assaulted a 53-year-old female teacher inside a Grade six classroom at Phera Primary School in Tsetse Village near Mafikeng on Monday, June 15. A video regarding the incident was shared on social media.

North West Education Department spokesperson, Elias Malindi, said that the mother, who has two children at the school, in grade four and grade R respectively,  had assaulted a teacher who has over 10 years of teaching experience.  

Malindi said that the parent had allegedly complained that the teacher had sent her children home after they had been late for school.

“Upon investigation the department found that the two learners never arrived at school as their names did not appear on the screeners register on the said day,” Malindi said. 

North West Education MEC,  Mmaphefo Matsemela ,expressed her displeasure regarding the parent’s alleged behaviour.

“On behalf of the department I would like to strongly condemn the alleged incident against one of our teachers. I am perturbed by the incident and the actions of this specific parent. Our teachers are beacons of hope and should be treated as such for their huge revolutionary role they play in  educating our society,” Matsemela said.

“As a department we plead with parents to protect teachers and not to cause any harm on them. Teachers should be treated as a scarce commodity which needs to be protected by the entire society,” Matsemela added.

She said the education department had dispatched a team of psychologists who will conduct counselling sessions with both the teachers and the learners at the local school.

The SA Democratic Teachers Union also condemned the assault of the teachers saying the that parent had “no right nor excuse to humiliate and disrespect the educator irrespective of their differences”.