a Peace Corps Tanzania blog - threat of police action

 My headmaster called all the teachers in for an emergency meeting in his office Thursday. I new something was up because normally meetings are in the staff room. I walk in and all the teachers are present and one female student who is tears. After much fast talking in Swahili I figure out that this girl (a form III student, thus one of my students) had been injured because of coropal punishment. She was caned 6 times on her hand (granted the law for this country is a max of 4 times) and was hit by a male teacher (another law says only female teachers can hit female students). She went to the teacher-on-duty to ask permission to go to the hospital but the teacher laughed ans said no. So then she went to the Headmaster to ask permission. Things escalated quickly and the next thing is the 'emergency meeting' because if she goes to the hospital for treatment and they find out what happened she will have to file a police report or bylaw the hospital cannot treat her. While this whole thing is going on I couldn't help but secretly hope that she does decide to persue it and a report is filed because I am so sick of all the regulations not being followed.

After 30 minutes the resolution is a shady one. One of the teachers is to buy pain killers and bandages for her wrist and the teachers apologize for her injury in return the student does not go to the hospital or the police.

After the girl returns to class, one of the teachers can tell I am disgusted with the whole situation and ask me to speak my mind. I just shake me head and tell them that they are constantly told by the headmaster to follow the laws for corporal punishments and they never do and half of the teachers don't even know what the laws say so this problem will never be solved until the guidelines are posted in the staff room. Judging by their looks I doubt they will follow my suggestion anytime soon.