Education Ministry probes violent fight between student and teacher

Videos capturing a violent fight between a senior-grade student and an expatriate teacher at a school on a southern Maldivian island have gone viral on social media.

Sun has learned that the incident, at a school in a southern Maldivian school, took place at approximately 12:00pm on Wednesday afternoon.

A 47-second video viral on social media shows a male student on the floor, apparently having fallen. He is then jumped by a male teacher, and the two wrestle on the floor, with the teacher seemingly trying to take an item from the student.

When student gets up from the floor, he hits the teacher on the shoulder before attempting to walk away. However, the teacher grabs the student by the neck and they wrestle for a bit. They stop for a while, and the student is seen walking away. But he turns back and again swings his arm to hit the teacher – an attempt which is blocked by the teacher. The teacher again grabs the student by the neck and pushes him away with force.

While there are other students at the classroom at the time, some of them are heard urging the student and the teacher to calm down and stop the fighting.

Several other videos of the incident are also viral on social media, showing the fight between the student and the teacher at different points in time from various points of view.

Speaking with Sun regarding the matter, Education Ministry confirmed the incident has been brought to their attention. The Ministry added that they are investigating the incident further, adding the teacher involved has been suspended.

“In such incidents, we take all actions possible with the law and regulations. We are currently probing the cause of the incident, and how it unfolded,” the Ministry said.

Meanwhile, Maldives Police Service also confirmed that the incident had been brought to their attention. They noted that, while no formal complaint has been submitted, an investigation is underway.

Previous incidents at Maldivian schools have involved fights between students and teachers, as well as cases of bullying and physical violence.