By Gabriel Enogholase
BENIN—A 10-year-old primary four pupil of Okhoro Primary School, Okhoro, Benin, Edo State (names withheld) has instituted a N500 million suit against her teacher, Mrs. Mercy Iyobosa, before a Federal High Court, Benin, for allegedly beating her with a broom, which caused blindness in her left eye, over failure of a Mathematics test.
Joined as defendants in the suit are Edo State Universal Basic Education Commission, SUBEB; Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEB, Edo State Government, and Egor Local Government Education Board.
The pupil is praying the court to declare that the accusation of witchcraft and flogging/beating with a big cane and then a broom by her class teacher for failing a Mathematics test amoun-ted to physical, emotional abuse, maltreatment, punishment, cruelty, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment.
She is further contending that the action of her class teacher has grossly violated her fundamental right to respect for the dignity of her person as guaranteed by Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, among others.
She also wants the court to hold that the blinding of her left eye by her teacher, after the beating, while acting as an agent/servant of the other defendants, amounted to physical, emotional abuse, maltreat-ment, punishment, cruelty, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment and consequently a violation of her fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, ACT, and Section 11 of the Child’s Rights Act, 2003.
She is claming N100 million jointly and severally against the defendants as general and exemplary damages/compensation for the excruciating pains, suffering, slander, humilia-tion, inhuman and degrading treatment and discomfort she suffered.
She is also demanding an additional N400 million jointly and severally against the defendants as general and or exemplary damages/compensation for unlawful and unconstitutional blin-ding and eternal loss of her left eye, future pains, inconveniences and suffering.
The pupil wants the court to award another N175,000 jointly and severally against the defendants as special damages for the medical and other expenses that she has incurred.
since the incident.
BENIN—A 10-year-old primary four pupil of Okhoro Primary School, Okhoro, Benin, Edo State (names withheld) has instituted a N500 million suit against her teacher, Mrs. Mercy Iyobosa, before a Federal High Court, Benin, for allegedly beating her with a broom, which caused blindness in her left eye, over failure of a Mathematics test.
Joined as defendants in the suit are Edo State Universal Basic Education Commission, SUBEB; Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEB, Edo State Government, and Egor Local Government Education Board.
The pupil is praying the court to declare that the accusation of witchcraft and flogging/beating with a big cane and then a broom by her class teacher for failing a Mathematics test amoun-ted to physical, emotional abuse, maltreatment, punishment, cruelty, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment.
She is further contending that the action of her class teacher has grossly violated her fundamental right to respect for the dignity of her person as guaranteed by Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, among others.
She also wants the court to hold that the blinding of her left eye by her teacher, after the beating, while acting as an agent/servant of the other defendants, amounted to physical, emotional abuse, maltreat-ment, punishment, cruelty, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment and consequently a violation of her fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, ACT, and Section 11 of the Child’s Rights Act, 2003.
She is claming N100 million jointly and severally against the defendants as general and exemplary damages/compensation for the excruciating pains, suffering, slander, humilia-tion, inhuman and degrading treatment and discomfort she suffered.
She is also demanding an additional N400 million jointly and severally against the defendants as general and or exemplary damages/compensation for unlawful and unconstitutional blin-ding and eternal loss of her left eye, future pains, inconveniences and suffering.
The pupil wants the court to award another N175,000 jointly and severally against the defendants as special damages for the medical and other expenses that she has incurred.
since the incident.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/09/pupil-sues-teacher-for-n500m-over-loss-of-eye/
I N THE WESTERN COUNTRY,TEACHERS DON'T FLOG OR BEAT A CHILD,I PERSONALLY REMEMBER OF A CHILD THREATNING TO CALL POLICE FOR HIS PARENTS FOR BEATING HIM.TEACHER IN SUCH CASES,INVITE THE CHILD'S PARENTS AND COMPLAIN THE ISSUE TO THEM.I AM A PRODUCT OF NIGERIA TEACHERS AND NOW A PARENT MYSELF,I BELIEVE CHILD SHOULD BE FLOGGED OR BEATEN AT SCHOOL BUT ON DOING THAT,THE TEACHER MUST TAKE PRECUTIONS,HENCE FLOG,BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS IS ONE'S CHILD.INFLICTING PERMANENT INJURY TO A CHILD IS TOTALLY OUT OF THE CASE FOR NO PARENTS WILL CONDONE SUCH ACT NO MATTER HOW BAD THE CHILD IS
ReplyDeleteHope our overzealous police officers have done a good work to ensure convinction in this case. This will serve as a warning to all the cane happy teachers.
ReplyDeleted teachers eyes should be blind too simple.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher had no bad intention when she was flogging her, she was just trying to make the child a better person in future and mistakenly the cane touched the girls eye, we should not condemn d teacher, I serve in a school, and these student can be very stubborn most times that u dont ve option but to flog them
ReplyDeleteThose that supports the idea of abolishing physical punishment of pupils by teachers should have a rethink. This is simply a mistake.
ReplyDeletePhilip, I think you should have a rethink, beating a child until she permanently lost one of her eyes is totally unacceptable, if you are the father of this child, would you have embrace the teacher, I guess not, failing mathematics test is not the end of the child, I cant remember the number of times I had failed mathematics test myself, but today am a chartered accountant, if my then teacher had blinded my eyes, I wonder how I would have passed my rigorous ICAN exams......
ReplyDeletebut if your teacher did not flog u small, do u think u would ve become a chartered accountant??????
ReplyDeleteD teacher shuld have flog d child on d buttocks wit a cane & not a broom on his face, no matter her good intention, dis problem, it has turn to bad, she wil now surely regret her actions for a long time to come...
ReplyDelete