VIOLENCE broke out
at Barwick Primary School in Concession on Monday after angry parents stormed
the premises to inquire on the sexual abuse case in which a teacher is being
accused of indecently assaulting four girls.
The 62-year-old teacher (name withheld) has since gone into
hiding after the discovery of the alleged abuse.
The suspected paedophile, acting headmistress and two other
staffers were allegedly assaulted when the parents turned violent.
The parents accused staffers of covering up for their
colleague. After the skirmishes, the sexual abuse suspect fled.
Police reports have since been filed in respect of both the
sexual abuse and assault cases.
School authorities have since suspended the teacher pending
investigations into his alleged conduct. The girls, all in Grade Six, allege
the teacher was in the habit of touching their privates during lessons.
When The Herald visited the school on Tuesday, the
situation had calmed. In an interview, the school acting headmistress confirmed
the alleged cases of sexual abuse and assault saying investigations were
underway.
“Sometime last week, we received complaints from these
pupils that the teacher had been inappropriately touching them during lessons
and we instigated some investigations into the cases,” she said.
She said the pupils were asked to write reports narrating
their ordeals at the hands of the suspect before the school board was informed.
The acting headmistress then also wrote her own report
which she emailed together with the pupils’ reports to the school’s Board of
Governors chairman Mr Lyndon Nkomo, who is based in Harare, for further
investigations last Thursday.
“I then waited for further instructions from the board
chairman which was then sent on Monday advising me to suspend the teacher
pending some investigations on the case,” she said.
“The teacher was also ordered to vacate the school
premises.” The acting headmistress said on Monday at around 10am, six
women, including one of the pupil’s mother stormed the school armed with sticks
to attack the teacher.
“They went to his classroom where they found him packing
his stuff and he ran away after being attacked,” she said.
“The women later confronted me before they attacked me and
two other staff members.”
The acting headmistress said they later went with the six
women to the police where the reports had been made.
Mr Nkomo has since directed the acting headmistress to
arrange professional counselling for the affected quartet.
He has also written to the parents assuring them that the
issue was being looked into.
“However, without mitigating the gravity of the complaints,
we urge all parents and guardians to exercise extreme restraint whenever there
are problems,” said Mr Nkomo.
“We know that it is a delicate and difficult balance, but
within the context of procedures and the rule of law, we are all required to
exercise restraint.
“The board remains seized with the matter and will continue
with the internal processes that had been initiated.”
Mr Nkomo added, “We will revert to you with regards to this
matter should the need arise, but it was imperative for us to address you on
this matter.
“We have not disclosed the identity of the alleged offender
and the victims for legal reasons. Let us all remain calm while the law takes
its course.” Herald
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