THE Ministry of Education.
Video
Students being beaten
By RICARDO WELLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
rwells@tribunemedia.net
THE Ministry of Education is investigating the circumstances surrounding a video in which a teacher is seen repeatedly striking a group of students with a leather belt.
The nearly three-minute video, which has spread across various social media platforms, reportedly involves an Abaco-based physical education teacher who is seen lashing students one-by-one with the belt.
It is not clear when the video was shot.
Director of Education Marcellus Taylor, when contacted yesterday, said the ministry was aware of the video and confirmed that an investigation was underway to determine what prompted the ordeal.
“We’ve seen it,” he told The Tribune. “It involved a teacher from Patrick J Bethel School and the district there is reviewing that matter. We expect a report to be submitted, and once that is done, we will determine what course of action we need to take.”
The graphic video opened with the teacher in question handing over the phone used to recorded the ordeal of the unidentified students.
After she ensured the device was on and recording, the teacher called over the first student.
As the first student walked into frame, he is heard telling the PE teacher that he was not involved in an incident that had transpired earlier. However, despite his pleas, Ms Brown directed him to walk over to a nearby wall and place his hands on it.
“You were in the room, right?” she told the young man. “Hands on the wall.”
Following a short discussion with several other students out of view of the camera, the teacher told the entire group: “So let me show y’all.”
She then widened her stance, and took her first swing. As she did, she was heard telling the student, “listen to me” as her belt made contact with his back.
The student, appearing to be in pain, held his back and stomach as he attempted to move away from the wall.
However the teacher shouted: “That’s one. Stand up.”
She directed him back to the wall and said: “Hands on the wall.”
As the young man exhaled in pain, he was hit across the back a second time and began to hop in place from the pain.
Ms Brown was heard saying: “I ain’ got time for that… you are a part of it too because you allowed it.”
At this point, several persons off-camera could be heard saying he was sleeping, referring to the young boy being hit.
One voice added: “He’s the quiet one.”
The student was struck once more before the teacher moves on to a second student.
In total six students — all boys — were beaten over the course of the video.
Corporal punishment has long been a point of contention in the country with fierce proponents on both sides.
At the time, Mr Lloyd said education officials may revise school policies on corporal punishment, insisting modern research shows it to be an ineffective way of disciplining children.
However later that year, in September 2018 police and the Ministry of Education were said to be investigating an incident at a public school where a boy was allegedly beaten by an administrator.
The announcement of the investigation came after advocacy group Rights Bahamas called on the Minnis administration and the Ministry of Education to address an incident of corporal punishment at C H Reeves Junior High School as a violation of both human rights and child laws.
Comments
joeblow 5 years, 7 months ago
Its important to know what happened before which prompted the video (which was a dumb idea BTW)! Too little information to come to any conclusion.
While I oppose abusing children, discipline is a different matter and comes in different forms. What works for one child may not work for another. There should be a standardized process schools go through to work up to corporal punishment if it is needed, and the parents should be advised of the process and be warned in advance that the child could face corporal punishment. It cannot be done willy-nilly by any person without oversight!
K4C 5 years, 7 months ago
If this is how children are treated in the custody of the school board can you imagine how one is treated in police custody ?
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 7 months ago
What investigative work did The Tribune do to ascertain the incident was not staged, i.e. fake news?
Sickened 5 years, 7 months ago
The teacher needs a police escort now. Knowing how our children are, there's a good chance she gone get jook!
One 5 years, 7 months ago
So what. I'm sure this teacher had the best intentions; disciplining them as she received in her childhood. Beating with a belt like this causes a bit of a stinging pain but nothing to injure anyone. As joeblow says, we need the full story to come to a conclusion. This article is biased; good (ethical) journalism presents facts from all sides in neutral way to inform the reader.
Future 5 years, 7 months ago
Teachers doing the job of parents. Someone got to beat sense and manners into these little hoodlums of today so they will grow up to be pillars of society. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY DID WHY THEY GOT THEIR ASS BEAT
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 7 months ago
We should get this teacher to give a good beating to certain of our parliamentarians! LMAO
TalRussell 5 years, 7 months ago
Yes, yes and yes why not when none other than the comrade education minister he self said, students 'should be beaten in schools' only if all other options have been exhausted and in the most egregious of circumstances"...... what stops any teacher from pleading the 5th - it was administrated under what they deemed be 'most egregious of circumstances..... yes, no it's well established you're permitted beat students but only under minister's guidelines..... can't just make this kinds instructive when beat children's policy up, yes, no............ on any other colony's capital Out Island, the parents/guardians we students would be doing a Jericho March - rungin' they cowbells around red shirts comrade minister Jeff's office, yes, no?
lazybor 5 years, 7 months ago
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Dawes 5 years, 7 months ago
AS always we complain about our society being violent and then demand our children get the belt whenever they step out of line. Check the countries which have abolished corporal punishment and see their levels of crime compared to ours. But that doesn't matter we like to beat children as we think if you spare the rod spoil the child. Oh well don't worry, even though one day that child will grow up.
joeblow 5 years, 7 months ago
... look at their levels of education and culture compared to ours! Vast differences between corporal punishment and abuse. People need to recognize the differences!
sheeprunner12 5 years, 7 months ago
Will the politicians bring a referendum to abolish corporal punishment??????????
TalRussell 5 years, 7 months ago
Take it ma comrade Sheeprunner that you've got your cowbells within reach do a rungin' cowbells Jericho March around the walls red shirts comrade minister Jeff's office, yes, no?
DDK 5 years, 7 months ago
'Apparently' the incident in question had something to do with boys and girls being found in the same room at a hotel during an inter-island sports competition event?
TalRussell 5 years, 7 months ago
Comrade DDK, even under Jeff's ministerial's Draconian administrator da strap rule, still in we Christian faiths colony, the socialising mixing sexes is allowed, yes, no?
joeblow 5 years, 7 months ago
... yes in public places, no in hotel rooms unsupervised!
John 5 years, 7 months ago
Yes the boys had underaged girls in their room which resulted in the lashings. Apparently one of the boys (who got his beating first) was not involved in entertaining the young girls but he got whipped because he was in the room. Had this whole not been recorded and then posted on Facebook the backlash would not have been as severe
sheeprunner12 5 years, 7 months ago
Jeff Lloyd needs to stop talking and start doing ........... Stream ALL junior high and senior high schools by sex and academic/technical ability ......... Get the best that you can out of them early ....... Go back to the SAC & Aquinas model. It worked then ......... it can surely work now.
TalRussell 5 years, 7 months ago
Yes, yes and yes Ma comrades, time all teaches disappear from both government and private schools. The preparation 22nd century's "limited" curriculum needs begin to offer no courses other than Reading & Writin', Basic Math, Some English, Arts, Music and Dance - and the eventual doing away with structured attendance required classrooms and the elimination teachers, yes, no to no more need for neither a education minister, education department, nor a need PeoplesPublicPurse's funding thousands teachers and an education ministry, yes, no?
John 5 years, 7 months ago
Would a male teacher handled it differently? if he had caught girls in the guys' room? Made them to run laps maybe or submitted to extra practice sessions? Because he understands the nature of young men. The key is to ensure they understand they were not being punished for attracting girls, but for violating school policy and taking them to their rooms after hours.This teacher, while her intention is good, tried to make publicity of the matter. To shame or embarrass the guys. So at the end of the day one may ask "what type of teacher beats guys for having girls in their rooms?' You discipline them, yes and lecture them of the possible consequences (pregnancy, stds, expulsion from school), yes but corporal punishing them? And in front of an audience.
sheeprunner12 5 years, 7 months ago
Most of our female teachers struggle to teach Bahamian boys ....... for many reasons (old wounds, abuse, disrespect, insecurity, intimidation, powerplay, sexual orientation, colour, personal space, EQ, learning styles, etc.).
But what can we do when most of our teachers are females, most of the principals are females, and most of the engaged/active parents are females????????
stoner 5 years, 6 months ago
Spare the Rod and spoil the child.This sayings goes back a long way.Kids have to be shown respect and it is not going come from the parents.Nip it in the butt quickly and they will not do it again.However, there are other ways to show respect and have discipline in the classroom, like writing long essays ad stay behind in class and do chores like cleaning up the school.
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