13-year-old Mbong Vera, a Form 3 student at COHAS Secondary School in Douala, has lost her life after receiving two strokes on the palms of her hands from a teacher, Arrey Clement. The incident occurred during a disciplinary action where the entire class faced corporal punishment for failing to submit an assignment assigned a week prior.
According to reports, the economics teacher, Arrey Clement, became infuriated when the entire class failed to present the assignment. In an attempt to instill discipline, he resorted to administering two strokes to each student on the palms of their hands.
Tragically, Mbong Vera collapsed just minutes after receiving her punishment. She was swiftly transported to Deido District Hospital, where her condition worsened, leading to her untimely death.
Witnesses from the class recounted the distressing event, with one student narrating, “We failed to present our assignment, and the teacher was bitter about it this morning. He decided to flog us all. Minutes later, Vera collapsed, and we received news of her death.”
“Vera was flogged like us all. I cannot really explain what happened to her case. This is so heartbreaking,” added another student.
Arrey Clement’s outburst on that fateful day is even more puzzling, given that his coworkers describe him as a composed teacher who abhors violence.
One colleague expressed disbelief, stating, “Mr. Arrey is a very calm teacher. He hardly disciplines or punishes students. He usually advises us not to resort to physical punishment. I don’t understand what happened today, and it’s rather unfortunate that it happened to someone like him.”
The school principal initially attempted to conceal the incident, but the gravity of the situation, amid outrage, escalated the spread of the information. As of right now, the school has not made any official statements regarding the tragic incident.
Arrey Clement has been apprehended and is currently being questioned at the gendarmerie as investigations into the circumstances surrounding Mbong Vera’s death unfold.
Several decades ago, corporal punishment was abolished as a disciplinary measure in Cameroonian schools. But several public and private institutions have ignored the government’s decision.
