Teacher in the dock for assaulting learner

Rethabile Mohono

MAFETENG — The small town of Mafeteng was left in shock on Tuesday this week as Rorisang Makoetlane, a 38-year-old teacher from King’s Gate Primary School, appeared in the Mafeteng Magistrate Court. Makoetlane, once regarded as a quiet and dedicated educator, now faces serious charges of violently assaulting a seventh-grade learner — an incident that has sent ripples of fear and outrage throughout the community and the entire nation.

The court set his bail at M1,500, which he promptly paid. Yet, the gravity of the case remains unresolved. He is expected to return to court on September 16, for a remand hearing that could determine his future. Two weeks ago Public Eye broke the story with the chilling details of the assault that horrified many. The young victim, whose identity is being protected due to his status as a minor, endured such a brutal beating that he was hospitalised for two days.

The ordeal not only left him with physical injuries but also inflicted deep emotional trauma. The boy is now too terrified to return to school, a place that should have been a safe environment for learning. Reports reveal that the incident started when the learner and two classmates failed to complete their assignments. What followed was a shocking escalation of rage. In a fit of anger, Makoetlane allegedly dragged the learner to the school’s computer lab, where he unleashed a violent punishment. The attack did not end with a stick — after the stick broke, Makoetlane reportedly began stomping on the boy.

Police records indicate that the boy was not the only learner who had not finished his work, raising troubling questions about why he was singled out for such a vicious assault.

The aftermath has left the young learner not only physically scarred but also emotionally shattered. In a tearful interview, the boy’s mother shared the heart-breaking impact of the incident. “What the teacher did was not just about physical pain,” she said, struggling to hold back tears. “He shattered my boy’s spirit. Now, he is too scared to go back to school, and that hurts more than anything.”

This tragic case has ignited widespread debates about the safety of learners in schools. Many parents are calling for stricter measures to protect children from such violence, and the community is anxiously awaiting the court’s next move, hoping that justice will prevail.

Ruthless assault

The mother recounted her son’s harrowing ordeal, describing it as a relentless series of beatings rather than a single instance of punishment. She said her child recalled being repeatedly struck on his back and buttocks while the teacher locked him between his thighs, to prevent him from escaping.

In a moment of desperation, the boy grabbed a nearby hosepipe and threw it in a bid to defend himself, only to have the teacher retaliate by hitting him across the face. “The assault continued until my son was struggling to breathe,” the mother said, her voice heavy with emotion. At one point, the teacher allegedly pressed his foot against the boy’s chest, pinning him to the ground, making it harder for him to catch his breath.

The boy, desperate for relief, requested to use the restroom, but the teacher initially refused. Only after realising the severity of the situation did the teacher relent, accompanying the boy to the restroom, fearing he was too weak to go alone. But the ordeal did not end there. After returning to the classroom, the boy was subjected to more punishment — he was whipped and slapped during lunch break, with no reprieve in sight.

In a painful recounting, the boy told his mother how a fellow learner had attempted to intervene, pleading with the teacher to forgive him. The teacher, however, allegedly told the other learner to stay out of it.

The boy endured the torment for the rest of the day, unable to find help until he finally returned home. It was then that his mother, horrified by what had happened, took him straight to the school principal, who lives in the same village. “The principal seemed shocked by the incident,” the mother recalled. “She told me to arrange a meeting with her and the teacher the following day at school.” What made the situation even more unbearable for the mother was the realisation that this was not the first time her son had been subjected to such treatment.

“I recall that during the winter term, my child came home with a swollen hand, crying that the same teacher had beaten him. I did not take it too seriously at the time — I just bandaged his hand, and he went back to school like nothing happened. Now, after this, I realise that the teacher’s animosity has been building up for some time, right under our noses,” she said, in a teary voice.

The next day, with her son still struggling to breathe and walk, the mother is said to have reached out to the principal, desperate for answers and hoping to prevent any further harm to her child.

Internal injury

“I took my son to the hospital, where the nurses informed me that his condition was critical due to internal bleeding,” the mother explained, her voice filled with anxiety.

“They said he needed to be admitted for further evaluation to prevent any additional harm.”Doctors confirmed that a thorough examination was necessary and the boy was admitted for two days before he was discharged on the third day.

Despite the severity of the situation, the mother expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the teacher. “When I met the principal to explain my son’s condition, all she said was that she was ‘ashamed and still shocked by the situation.’” The principal continued to express regret, emphasising how “the school and the board are ashamed and sorry for what had happened” to the boy.

The next day, she reached out again, inquiring about his condition. When the mother confirmed that he was still in the hospital, the principal told her that the teacher wished to meet her — a request the mother declined, stating that she had no desire to see him.

Later, the principal allegedly visited the hospital to check on the child and inquired about the hospital bill. The mother responded that it had not yet been issued. She also shared that the Ministry of Education had recommended counselling for her son, who had been attending sessions for two days.

“The support from the Ministry of Education has been more substantial than the assistance provided by the school,” she told Public Eye in an interview two weeks ago.

The mother’s main concern now is her child’s safety upon returning to school as the teacher, although suspended from teaching, remains on campus. “My child is apprehensive about being in the same environment as this teacher, which raises significant concerns for us,” she said. The situation is particularly troubling as her son is preparing for final exams next month.

“I do not feel at ease with my child returning to school while the teacher is still present on the premises,” she added, voicing her dissatisfaction with the school’s handling of the disruption. When asked if she had reported the matter to the police, the mother confirmed that she had, and that an investigation is currently underway.

King’s Gate Primary School principal, ’Mateboho Masiu, declined to comment on the situation, stating that it was now in the hands of the Ministry of Education. “The whole issue is in the hands of the ministry as the employer,” she said. District Education Manager ’Mahlompho Shabe revealed that the school had informed them about the incident and that the board had met to address the matter.

The teacher was instructed not to attend classes soon after the incident to facilitate the investigation, though Shabe clarified that this was not a formal suspension due to legal considerations. She said the ministry was providing counselling for the boy and organising sessions for some Grade 1 pupils who had witnessed the incident.

In the wake of this tragedy, several former learners of the same teacher took to social media, recounting their own experiences of similar mistreatment. From a children’s rights perspective, the practice of corporal punishment violates fundamental human rights, including the right to dignity, physical integrity, and equal protection under the law. According to international human rights law, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child, states are obligated to enact legislation prohibiting corporal punishment in all settings, including schools and the home.

What the law says

However, in Lesotho, corporal punishment remains lawful despite recommendations to abolish it from the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Human Rights Committee, and during the 1st cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Lesotho in 2010 (which was accepted by the government).

In 2015, with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world committed to ending violence against children (SDG target 16.2) by 2030. With less than six years remaining, there is a need to accelerate efforts to eliminate corporal punishment, one of the most prevalent forms of violence.

According to Human Rights Lawyer Advocate ’Mamofuta Kale, the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act speaks about corporal punishment.The Act states that corporal punishment appears to be unlawful in schools. Article 4 of the Education Act 2010 prohibits cruel punishment: “(4) A learner shall not be subjected to cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment.” While this does not explicitly prohibit corporal punishment, the accompanying parliamentary statement of objects and reasons of the Education Act 2010 clarifies that one purpose of the law is to prohibit corporal punishment: “5. The Bill abolishes corporal punishment at schools in accordance with Section 8 of the Constitution, which provides that a person shall not be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading punishment.”

Article 22 of the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act 2011 states that the state has a duty “to formulate policies which will ensure… (k) that… school discipline is consistent with a child’s rights and dignity,” but it does not explicitly prohibit corporal punishment.

The government has reported to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child that “the Education Act 2010 and the MOET’s School Regulations abolish corporal punishment in schools.” But we have yet to confirm that the provisions for “lawful and reasonable chastisement of children” in the Penal Code Act 2010 (art. 32) and for “justifiable” chastisement in the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act 2011 (art. 16) may not be used as a legal defence for the use of corporal punishment by teachers.

The Teaching Service Regulations 2002 are silent on the issue. “With this kind of corporal punishment, everyone could tell it was abuse.” Corporal punishment is defined by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light.”

It has traditionally been viewed as a normal, even necessary, part of raising children. However, research has confirmed that corporal punishment inflicts considerable harm on both children and societies as a whole. Globally, many children still experience corporal punishment in their homes, schools, care settings, and penal systems.

Estimates suggest that at least one billion children—that is, one in two—experience violent punishment every year. In some countries, nearly all children report regularly suffering violent punishment both at home and at school.

Over 50 years of research have found that corporal punishment is associated with a wide range of harmful consequences to children and no benefits. It causes direct physical harm, killing thousands of children each year and causing injury for many more. It is also strongly linked with poor mental health in childhood and later life, including increases in the chances of self-harm, suicide attempts, and addiction in adulthood.