Pupil allegedly shoots teacher who reprimanded him for making a noise while matric pupils wrote an exam
Durban — A 16-year-old KwaZulu-Natal pupil is due to appear in court on Tuesday after allegedly shooting and wounding his teacher following an argument at Mqhawe Secondary School in Ntuzuma.
According to the SAPS at about 11.30am last Thursday, a learner apparently shot a 30-year-old teacher after he reprimanded him for making noise while matric pupils were writing an exam.
It is alleged that after being reprimanded, the pupil then threatened the teacher and told him that he would shoot him once the school was out, which he allegedly did.
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala confirmed the incident.
“A case of attempted murder is being investigated by Inanda SAPS. A 16-year-old suspect was arrested and charged. He is appearing in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday,” she said.
KZN Education Department spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi urged society to lend a helping hand in dealing with pupils’ behaviour.
“We can confirm the incident and the learner arrested. We are disturbed that learners conduct themselves in such a manner. The educator was reprimanding him not to make noise when the matriculants were writing,” said Mahlambi.
People took to social media to express their concerns as they felt that pupils now have too many rights and too much freedom. Hence “they do as they please”.
Onalibuse King, said being a teacher these days was like digging one’s own grave.
“Maybe the government has to establish some sort of compensation if a teacher is injured or killed by a child. The law does not allow children who are troublesome to be kicked out of school due to the rights that they now have. The issue of being a teacher is an abomination; that's why teachers are attacked by high blood pressure disease.
“Every day you wake up and think what kind of trouble this child is going to have today,” said King.
Another concerned citizen said this ordeal could be a result of the pupil’s mental health not being well enough.
“He's proving to be a teenager with anger issues and living in a violent home that leaves guns around. How did he easily take it from home? Besides what he's done, yes, it’s a terrible act, but this child’s background is a problem. Our societal problem is parents’ lack of parenting. We say we are, but we are not ashamed, hence why, as parents, we contribute to how these children are turning around expecting teachers to be our children’s teachers,” said Samantha Ndawonde.
Daily News