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A female teacher at Victoria High School in Masvingo has been caught in a child abuse storm after she allegedly ordered a Form One boarder to take a bath in the open while fellow male and female students at the government-run boarding school watched.
The teacher, Victoria Gorimani, who is a superintendent at Les Sharp Hostel, allegedly ordered a 13-year-old boy to perform the humiliating act allegedly as punishment for refusing to bath.
The incident allegedly happened just before schools closed for the first term outside the hostel which is shared by both male and female junior pupils.
There are fears that the lurid revelations might be a tip of an iceberg amid fears that more pupils at one of Masvingo’s prominent boarding schools might have also silently went through abuse.
While the school headmaster John Muzamani was hostile when asked about the issue yesterday, it is alleged that Gorimani has since been relieved of her post as superintendent at Les Sharp Hostel.
It is believed the move to relieve her as hostel superintendent is aimed at allowing thorough investigations to take place.
Masvingo district education director Zakaria Makopa said investigations against Gorimani were ongoing.
“We have ordered the headmaster, deputy headmaster, senior master and the senior woman at Victoria High School to investigate allegations being levelled against the teacher in question because we are not taking the matter lightly.
“Once investigations have been completed, I will hand over the report to the provincial education director (Fadzai Jirivengwa),” said Makopa.
Deputy director for Secondary and Non Formal Education in Masvingo Andrew Chikwange said requisite action would be taken against Gorimani if allegations against her are proved to be true.
Chikwange said a team had since been set up to investigate the matter with a report expected in two weeks time.
“We do not condone at all such treatment to our schoolchildren. We only received a report about the abuse last week so our team is on the ground investigating. They will prepare a report and give recommendations on the course of action to take. We however, want to assure parents that appropriate action will be taken against the teacher in the event we find fault against her,” he said.
The alleged abuse at Victoria High has also put under the spotlight the role of inspectors who stay at most government-run boarding schools with some parents questioning how such blatant violation of schoolchildren’s rights could take place right under their noses.
However, Chikwange defended the inspectors saying it was normal for acts of mischief to happen even in a tightly-monitored environment.
Some parents also queried why authorities at Victoria High allowed junior female and male pupils to share the same hostel and Chikwange said such issues would be looked at in future.
Online Reporter