SRI LANKA: 17-year-old assaulted by physical training teacher 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a 17-year-old student of the Rahula National School was brutally assaulted by a school health and physical training teacher.  The assault was continued even in the presence of the principal and the vice principal of the school. It is reported that serious wounds were inflicted on the student’s face, head, and stomach, and he was warded in hospital for three days. We were also informed that the Godakawela police have not yet taken any action to investigate this incident despite the complaint of the victim’s family.

CASE DETAILS:

RM Mayura Pranith Weeratunga, 17, is an advanced level student at the Rahula National School, Godakawela in the Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. On 8 November 2006, the health and physical training teacher Mr. Dammika Chandralal demanded Mayura’s wallet as the students of this school are not been allowed to bring their wallets to school. However, despite several requests by Mayura, the teacher failed to return his wallet until 30 November 2006.

On December 1, when Mayura went to school and was on the way to his classroom, Mr. Dammika demanded Mayura’s wallet again. When Mayura said he had left it at home, the teacher Dammika sarcastically said, “Ah, so you are trying to be a big-shot” and slammed his fist into Mayura’s left cheek. The teacher then took Mayura to the principal office and assaulted on his mouth outside the office. The assault split Mayura’s lips which began bleeding. Then, Mayura was taken inside the principal office and once again assaulted on the face and stomach, while the principal and vice principal looked on without any intervention.

A little later after, Mr. Dammika left the principal office and the principal himself wrote a statement and forcibly obtained Mayura’s signature in it. Soon Mayura began to have severe headache due to assault and brought this to the attention of the Principal, who called the class teacher and told her to take Mayura back to his class.

Subsequently the principal had called Mayura’s uncle to school and told him to take Mayura home. After Mayura’s uncle saw Mayura injured and bleeding from his mouth, he queried from the principal as to what had happened. But the principal simply said, “come later and we will sort this matter out” and sent them away. The angry uncle went to the Godakawela police station and lodged a complaint regarding the incident. Later the uncle collected the medical legal examination form from the police and took Mayura to the Godakawela hospital where he was warded for three days until December 3. At the hospital, Mayura also complained to the doctors about his assault by teacher Dammika.

Mayura was requested to come to the Godakawela police station by 9:00am on December 6 relating to an inquiry about the lodged complaint. Although Mr. Dhammika was also requested to come, he only came to the police station at about 3:00pm. It was only at about 3:30pm that the inquiry into the incident was started by the Officer-in-Charge (OIC). But Mayura’s family complaints that from inception, the OIC showed his bias towards the teacher.

The OIC then referred the incident to the Mediation Board and told Mayura and his parents were informed to attend the Board hearing at 2:00pm on December 10. However the parents were afraid of being pressurised by the Board members to settle this matter, as this often occurs in the mediation board meetings. As the attendance of the meeting is not compulsory to any of two parties, the parents refused to go for meeting and the case was sent back to the police and may be sent to the court for its consideration. The police’s further action about this case is unknown.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

A student is always a ‘trouble maker’

The OIC of the Godakawela police station has not taken any proper action in this case. He regarded this case as a “not serious case” and merely recommended it to the mediation board. In Sri Lankan culture, the assault of a student by the teacher(s) is widely accepted in the society and when it happens, the people generally presume that there must be a reason the student(s) is assaulted. In the circumstances, the victimized student and his/her parents feel huge pressure from their community when they dare to speak out this matter and a teacher is always considered as a strict instructor under the name of ‘education’, and a student is always considered as a ‘trouble maker’.

Poor qualification of teachers and systemic problem in the recruitment process of teachers

There are systemic problems in the recruitment process of teachers in Sri Lanka. Many of the teachers are being recruited without proper examination about their educational knowledge and morality. In the circumstances, the teachers often do not have enough skills how to educate his students in a good way. Instead, as seen in this case, the teachers control the students through violent means.

Permanent trauma from the one-side violence

One side violence and abuses by the teachers against the child during childhood and adolescence suffer from permanent trauma. Therefore, violence should never be allowed to the young children.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the relevant authorities listed below, expressing your serious concern about this case. Please condemn the immoral and violent-oriented teacher and principal and urge them to take immediate action to stop the abuse of privilege and violence of the named teacher, Principal and Depute Principal of the Rahula National School.

 

 

 

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