JEDDAH: The father of a student at Imam Nafie Primary School in Taif’s Qumariya neighborhood is upset because the teacher who had hit his son in the face has gone unpunished.

Fahad Muhaimeed Al-Nufaei was quoted as saying to local media that the teacher beat his son and a number of other students because they raised their voices in class.

He said the punishment was a clear-cut violation of the Ministry of Education’s rules and regulations. “The rules clearly state that corporal punishment is forbidden,” he said.

He claims that when he first went to complain about the incident to the principal, the principal paid no attention to the complaint.

“So, I filed a complaint with the Education Department,” he said. “It has been three months since I filed the complaint but no action has been taken against the teacher,” he said.

He said his son was a good student has behaved well ever since he enrolled in the school. “The other teachers at school testify to his good behavior,” he said.

“A number of teachers and students who were eyewitness to the punishment testified that the teacher hit my son but the school administration threatened them with action,” he said.

He said the teacher took advantage of his powers and managed to refer the complaint from the Education Department to the general court.

“When I went to court last Monday, in accordance with the scheduled hearing session, the judge ruled that three days’ salary should be deducted from the teacher,” he said. “But this has not been done.”

A spokesman for Taif Education Department, Abdullah Al-Zahrani, said the relevant officials have received the complaint and it has been referred for further action to the appropriate department.