4th Grade Egyptian Student Receives 40 Lashes For Talking In Class

Outrage is spreading as news emerges that an Egyptian teacher lashed a fourth grade student forty times for talking in class.

On Saturday the Minister of Education and Technical Education El-Hilali El-Sherbini announced that the Egyptian teacher would be brought in for questioning for his disturbing assault on a student. In a statement, the ministry disclosed that the incident occurred at the Kebaa Modern School in Cairo’s Basatin district, and that the teacher severly punished the student for talking to a classmate during class.

Looking to punish the student and set an example to the class, the teacher proceeded to lash the student 40 times. The assault was so severe that it is believed the child suffered multiple wounds on various parts of his body. What is unclear at this point is what the teacher used to lash the student that would leave such extreme wounds.

Although corporal punishment was banned by the Ministry of Education, it is still a widespread common problem, especially in Egyptian public schools. Earlier this year the Education Ministry ordered the temporary closure of Cairo’s Al-Shuhada elementary school after a fifth grade student died three days after receiving a brutal beating by his teacher, back in March.

Many Egyptians blame this ongoing problem on teachers receiving low wages, having no proper supervision, and rarely being held accountable for committing what is clearly a crime against society's most vulnerable demographic; children.