Teacher arrested for "caning pupil to death"

A teacher is in the grips of the police after allegedly caning one of his pupils to death.

The teacher who teaches at the Providence School in the Kotobabi, a suburb of Accra, reportedly hit the head, spinal cord and neck of the pupil with a cane.

The little girl, Favour Ohene, died a few hours later, police said.

An autopsy revealed the pupil died from severe head injuries.

Father of the deceased, Vincent Ohene, insisted his eight-year-old daughter died from the caning.

He intimated that the little girl had earlier complained of severe pains in the head.

“The child was caned in the head, the back and the spinal cord so the brain was injured and blood from the brain run down through the throat and to the chest, that is the cause of her death,” he said.

Teachers are prohibited from caning pupils in school under the Ghana Education Service regulations.

Headteachers are only allowed to administer caning and even so they must have a very good reason for resorting to this form of punishment.

Meanwhile the headteacher of Providence School, Michael Maningson, who is also the elder brother to the accused teacher, admits that little Favour was caned.

But he insists that it wasn't the caning that killed her.

Meanwhile, the accused teacher, Sheeba Maningson, who has been teaching in the school for the past six years, is in police custody.

Commander of the Kotobabi Police Station, ASP Florence Owusu, said investigation into the matter has already begun.

Credit: Joy News/Myjoyonline.com