Authorities investigate after schoolboy bullied and assaulted

Education Ministry opened an investigation into allegations a first grader at the Salahuddin School, a government school in Hulhumale’ Phase II, was bullied and physically assaulted.

Education Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that they are investigating the case, and promised to deliver “due punishment” to those found guilty.

Salahuddin School was not immediately available for comment regarding the situation.

The schoolboy’s family told Sun that he had been subjected to bullying for over five months. The family said they reported it to the school, which failed to take proper action.

The family said the boy had a patch of his hair and his uniform shorts cut when he returned home from school on Tuesday.

“When it reached that point, we immediately met with his class teacher. But the teacher said he cut his own hair with a pair of scissors during art class. And that he cut his own shorts,” said a family member.

The family said they failed to receive a sufficient response when they met with the school’s management.

The family said a teacher had not been present in the classroom when the incident took place. They said the student who committed the act admitted to it, and called the family and apologized.

“The parents say other students in the class are also facing various forms of bullying from a group of students known to be bullies,” said the family.

The family said they began suspecting he was getting bullied after he began returning home from school his pencils broken in half, and with red blisters on his skin, as if he had been stabbed with a pencil.

“Somedays, he would return home with bumps on his skin from pencil marks. He has these kinds of small injuries when he returns from school,” said a family member.

The family said the boy was traumatized and showed resistance to going to school.