A GRADE 1 teacher has been suspended after a video surfaced on social media showing her mocking a pupil who did not have money to participate in the school’s ‘pie day’ fundraiser. The child’s mother reportedly could not afford to contribute to the fundraiser and he is seen covering his face while sitting next to classmates who were eating.
Image: TikTok
A GRADE 1 teacher has been suspended after a video surfaced on social media showing her mocking a pupil who did not have money to participate in the school’s ‘pie day’ fundraiser.
The incident occurred at Thembalethu Primary School, in George, in the Western Cape.
For the fundraising event, pupils were asked to contribute R40 to receive a pie and juice.
The video, which was recorded by the teacher and later shared in the class parents’ group, showed pupils sitting at their desks eating the pies and drinking their juice.
During the recording, the teacher instructed pupils to eat quietly while she filmed them in classroom.
The camera then focused on a pupil who did not have a pie and juice.
The child, whose mother reportedly could not afford to contribute to the fundraiser, is seen covering his face while sitting next to classmates who were eating.
The teacher can then be heard mocking the boy and instructing his classmates not to share their pies with him, IOL reported.
The video quickly circulated online, sparking outrage among parents and members of the community. Protests were later held outside the school, with parents calling for disciplinary action against the teacher.
The Western Cape Education Department confirmed that the teacher had been temporarily suspended and the incident was being investigated.
Department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the video had been recorded by the teacher and shared with the class’s parent group, allegedly to highlight that the pupil was the only one excluded from receiving items purchased through the fundraising initiative, IOL reported.
“It has since been established that the teacher had in fact purchased the fundraising item for the pupil, who received it after the filming of the video. However, the manner in which this was done was totally inappropriate,” Hammond said.
She added that the department’s Labour Relations Directorate would conduct a formal investigation while the teacher remained suspended.
"The pupil and the pupil’s parents have been offered counselling support arranged by the department."
Meanwhile, social media users opened their hearts and wallets after influencer Mandisi Tshingana asked them to donate money into his bank account for the pupil.
By the time of publication, more than R40 000 had been raised, IOL reported.