A teacher, who slapped a student for disobedience, was told by a District Court Judge that with 21 years experience in his profession, he should have known better.
The suggestion came from District Court Judge, Her Honour Mata Tuatagaloa, after hearing the summary of facts about the incident.
Togafau Pelesala, 44, had previously pleaded guilty to the charge of assault.
This was when the matter was first before the Court.
Yesterday, he appeared before Judge Tuatagaloa for sentence.
She convicted and discharged him but ordered him to keep in mind that he now has a record for assaulting a student.
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The student’s age was not mentioned.
But he attended Aleipata College where Pelesala taught as a Senior Assistant.
The incident happened on 12 February, 2014.
Pelesala when given an opportunity to speak told the court he had visited the parents of the student involved in the matter.
The boy’s parents had accepted his apology and so have reconciled.
He also offered up an apology to Judge Tuatagaloa and to the court for his action.
“I feel remorseful.” But Judge Tuatagaloa told him there are many ways that he could have penalised the child.
She suggested the student could have been ordered to do hard labour (something that we all had to go through in school), suspension or even expulsion from the college.
His assault of the student means that he had gone beyond his role as teacher.
His responsibilities and duties are to teach, foster and nurture the students.
And when students act inappropriate in school it is their role to advise and correct them but not assaulting them.
Judge Tuatagaloa also reminded Pelesala that as a teacher he should “be patient” with the behaviour of the students.
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