School apologises after teacher called in armed police to threaten pupils over assignments

The Management of Early Dew Montessori Academy, Enugu, has tendered an unreserved apology to Enugu State Government for the untoward and unprofessional act displayed by a teacher in the school.

A teacher had invited armed police officers to the school premises to threaten some school children between the ages of four and seven for failure to do their assignments.

The letter of apology, addressed to Commissioner for Education, Enugu State, was made available to journalists on Friday.

“We apologise most profusely for the embarrassment to your esteemed office and the Executive Governor of the State whose unfailing support for the education sector seemed to have been sullied,” the letter said.

“The school also tendered our unqualified apologies to all those out there whose sense of decency and civility may have been offended by the unfortunate incident.

“The unprofessional act was most uncalled for as it was overzealousness by the head teacher taken too far.

“There was no intention whatsoever to arrest any child as alleged as no child was taken outside the school premises.”

According to the statement, we promise and undertake that such will never happen again under our watch.

“We appeal most humbly that the closure of the school be lifted so that our children are not unduly affected negatively by the continued closure of the school,” it appealed.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Uche Eze, had on receiving reports from concerned citizens of the unfortunate incident, visited the school.

Mr. Eze, however, withdrew the school’s operational licence immediately after confirming that the incident took place.

A letter by Mr. Eze, dated February 20, and addressed to the school’s proprietress, stated that the act “constitutes gross professional misconduct and could leave the children psychologically traumatised”.

The letter stressed that “it also has the potential of diminishing the person of the child and making him or her live in perpetual fear of schooling”.

The act was greeted with wide condemnation from the public, especially in the social media. (NAN)