Ajman teacher suspended after video shows apparent assault of pupil

AJMAN // A teacher has been suspended as an investigation begins into an allegation that he beat a pupil.

The investigation follows the publication of an online video that appears to show the male teacher beating the 12-year-old boy at a government school in Ajman.

The Ministry of Education has formed a committee to investigate the incident.

The Minister of Education, Hussein Al Hammadi, and Brig Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, the chief of Ajman Police, have both seen the video footage, which appears to have been filmed by another pupil in the class.

The boy’s father is understood to have visited the school after the incident, but has not yet taken any action.

The Emirates Human Rights Association sent an urgent message to the minister, Mr Al Hammadi, calling on him to investigate the incident.

Mr Al Hammadi said the alleged attack was “not representative of the practices and standards of the country’s schools and the noble values upheld by Emirati society”.

“All forms of physical punishment are rejected as a tool of discipline in schools. The incident is an isolated one that should not happen again,” he said.

The minister also warned pupils against using social media to publish videos that could be offensive to others. It was better to report such incidents to the competent authorities, the school principal or the ministry, he said.