A school principal in Nyanga narrowly avoided imprisonment after the Nyanga Magistrates’ Court opted to issue a warning and caution before releasing him following his apprehension for physically reprimanding a student.

Simon Kwakurai (42), the principal of Sanhai Primary School, admitted to the charge of assault.

The incident occurred on May 22, 2023, when a student was present at the school during a routine procedure conducted by the school’s development committee (SDC) members, who were sending students with outstanding fees home.

Despite the practice being deemed unlawful, school development committees nationwide persist in turning away students who have not paid their tuition fees.

Additionally, although corporal punishment has been prohibited, headmasters and teachers often resort to it as a means of discipline.

In Kwakurai’s case, SDC members instructed the student to leave, but the student refused, citing his father’s arrangement with the principal to pay at a later date.

Subsequently, the SDC members brought the student to the principal, who administered five slaps to the student’s face. This resulted in the student bleeding from the nose, prompting the student to report the incident to the police, which led to Kwakurai’s arrest.

At his hearing in the Nyanga Magistrates’ Court, the principal was issued a warning and caution before being discharged.