6 year old boy allegedly assaulted by school teacher

A six-year-old boy has been allegedly assaulted by a school teacher in Dubai, with the bruises and scars on the boy's shoulder and back still visible four days after the incident. Apparently, Ahmad, who is a grade one student in a school's evening session, has been going through mental trauma for some time; however, his parents only noticed it last Thursday when the boy came home crying. "When we asked him the boy didn't say much, he was crying and he was very scared. His mother consoled him and when she removed his uniform, we were shocked to see bruises and scars on his back," said Zakir Syed Ameen, father of the boy, who is from Pakistan and works as an ambulance dispatcher in Dubai. Ameen said he immediately called the school's principal to complain, but she was rude and unhelpful. "The principal didn't like me calling her and refused to talk. The next day I went to Rashidiya police station and registered a complaint. They took pictures and are conducting a forensic investigation," added Ameen. As part of the investigation, Ameen was directed by the police to bring a medical report from Rashid Hospital. Gulf News received a copy of the medical report issued by the emergency department at Rashid Hospital, confirming the scars on Ahmad's back were received after being beaten with a stick. Apparently, the boy is in a state of shock and, according to his father, Ahmad has been unable to sleep properly since the incident. He wakes up with nightmares and cries. "The boy is undergoing a psychological impact and he wakes up from sleep crying. He is also refusing to go to school. I just can't understand how someone can beat a child so brutally. Is this the way they educate kids? How will children learn in such an environment," Ameen asks. When contacted by Gulf News, the principal, Fatima Rashid, denied that such an incident took place in the school. "It is all lies and fabrication, no such thing [assault] took place in our school," said Rashid. However, sources from the school said that teachers as well as the school management were summoned by the police yesterday for interrogation and, apparently, the Arabic language teacher, who allegedly hit the boy, has admitted to the charges. Apart from Dubai Police the Knowledge and Development Authority (KHDA) is also investigating the matter. Ameen said a senior official at the KHDA assured him of quick action when he approached the authority to register a complaint. Abdur Rahman Nasser, Executive Director of Customer Relations, KHDA, admitted that the authority has received a complaint and they are taking action. "It is really heartbreaking to know about the incident. This is really unfortunate and shouldn't happen in schools under any circumstance. We are sending a team from the compliance department to the school to investigate the matter and we will take action in the next couple of days," said Nasser, speaking to Gulf News.