A 13-year-old student by the name of Sintat Michel has been hospitalised after he was mercilessly beaten by his teacher, Liessok Ngaleu Serge, at the College de L’Agape in Douala, Littoral Region of Cameroon.
Sources say the incident resulted from a misunderstanding in the classroom between Michel, a student of 4eme Espagnol (Form 3 Spanish), and his teacher on October 19, 2023.
Christelle Ngo, the mother of Michel narrated to the press what her son had told her. She said, “He told me, mom, It was an issue of biscuits. My classmate took a piece of biscuit and shot one of my mates. Since the student is the teacher’s niece, the teacher did not want to listen when I told him I was not the one.”
His mother claims that when the teacher questioned the classmate who shot the biscuit, she immediately pointed accusing fingers at her son. He was later taken in front of the class and “administered over 99 strokes. He could barely walk, talk, or eat,” Christelle added.
In response to the incident, Cleopasse Kambou, the principal of L’Agape College, expressed strong condemnation. She mentioned that a disciplinary council meeting had been arranged with the staff of the institution to address the issue.
It is important to note that the Minister for Secondary Education in Cameroon, Nalova Lyonga, has issued a warning against the use of corporal punishment in schools. This information was stated in a release dated January 16, 2023.
According to the release, corporal punishment, which comprises canning or flogging a student, is “prohibited in schools in accordance with Article 5 of Law No. 98/004 of April 14, 1998, on the orientation of education in Cameroon.”
In the same release, Nalova Lyonga warned that sanctions would be taken against schools and teachers who resort to such a mode of punishment.
