The parents of a 7-year-old Yusuf, a student of the Modern International School Hofuf in Al-Ahsa, claim their son was physically abused by his teacher. They plan to file charges of child abuse against the teacher and the school. The principal of the school is investigating the matter but told Saudi Gazette that Yusuf could be lying. Mirza Abbas Ali, an engineer working at the Saudi Aramco Hawiyah Gas Plant, said his son's English teacher “pinched and twisted a sharp nail” on the chest of his son, causing a deep injury and blood clot on his chest. Ali said the abuse happened last Wednesday in front of Yusuf's classmates at about 11:15 A.M. “My son and his classmates told me that their English teacher pinched and twisted the sharp nail on my son's chest after he had some shouting argument with some of his classmates. These are children, and shouting among them does happen. But the act of the teacher to punish my child was too harsh and inhuman. My son suffered the pains for six hours until the end of the school day,” Ali said. Ali said it was not the first time that his son was severely punished in school. Yusuf, who suffered from inborn clubfoot, had undergone operation to correct the defect. “On May 12, 2008, before the surgery took place on Aug. 12, 2008 to correct the defect in both his feet, two teachers kept my son standing in the corner of the classroom for about two hours because he had played with water in the bathroom with his classmates. My son had difficulty walking then, and forcing him to stand that long was cruel,” Ali said. The principal of the school, Qasi Saddique, told Saudi Gazette, “We are investigating the matter, and we will resolve this problem to the satisfaction of all parties.” He said though that Yusuf could be lying. “The child is handicapped and not able to speak normally,” the principal said. Ali said, however, that his son is an intelligent boy who has scored high marks in his examinations. According to Ali, he and other parents are being targeted by the school administration officials and school teachers due to their demand that the school improve its standards. “Many of us, parents, have been asking the school management to upgrade the qualifications of teachers because many of them do not have the required academic qualification to teach. “We are also seeking an improvement in the school facilities. It is for these reasons why I am being targeted – at the expense of my son – and also other parents, including two prominent medical doctors.”
