KG1 student returns home with swollen cheek

The father of a three-and-a-half-year-old boy is seeking answers after his son returned home from school last Wednesday with a swollen right cheek. He said the KG1 student of a school in Sharjah came home at 12.30pm and complained that he had been slapped by a teacher. The concerned mother of the Indian boy called the father, who was away in Abu Dhabi at the time, to inform him about the incident. They got in touch with the school later in the afternoon, but were asked to meet officials the following day. ‘‘We were asked to come to the school the next morning, but when we got there, they said we should have come after the incident with the child,” said the father, who is now considering withdrawing the child from the school. He alleged that the school did not own up to anything and the family was treated as suspects when they raised the issue with the school management. According to the father, the swelling did not subside even at night, but he answered in the negative when asked if the boy was taken to a doctor to determine the cause of the swelling. “It’s shocking that they (the school) did not take our complaint seriously and did not bother to take remedial action. They were cold and suspicious and their answers did not convince me. When you pay a premium for your child’s education, you want your child to be safe,” he said. He also alleged the principal was not aware of the incident the next morning when it was brought up during the discussion. The school, when contacted, said the incident took place on the school bus and the child was slapped by another boy. “It was a minor fight between two kids. We have changed the class teacher to ensure there is more supervision in the classroom and out of it,”said the principal.