WE were conducting our regular health check-ups at a government school in Machhar Colony, Lyari, when two students arrived at the door of their class. The girl was around 10 years old, and her brother was seven. The teacher came out and started shouting at the girl. They were late, and the teacher reprimanded them in an insulting tone.

I was unsure whether to intervene then or later until the teacher slapped the boy across the face. Leaping from my chair, I told the teacher, “You cannot do this. Do you know there is a law against corporal punishment in Sindh?” His response was shocking: “These are wild animals. They don’t listen until you beat them.”

On our next visit, we encountered two cases of severe upper arm pain and swelling. One case was so serious that we debated whether an X-ray was needed. We discovered that the teacher had hit the children with a stick. Sadly, abuse appeared to be a regular occurrence at the school. On being accosted, the principal expressed his helplessness: “What can we do? These are volunteer teachers who receive a minimal amount for teaching here. Most of the salaried teachers rarely show up to work.”

Frustrated, we wrote letters to Sindh’s chief minister and education minister. More........

© Dawn