Marks of beating clearly visible on the boy’s body.

Minister of Education Azzam Al-Dakhil has ordered an investigation into the case of a teacher flogging a student at Al-Khafji school in Jeddah. The boy was taken to hospital and suffered significant psychological issues as a result of the incident.

Local media reported that the incident took place at the Al-Khafji primary school when the teacher started beating up the sixth-grade student, leaving marks on his back, hands and body.

When he went home that day after school, his father noticed the marks on his body and took him to Al-Thagher hospital, where a medical report confirmed that the boy was beaten up and gave him five days’ rest to recover.

His father said that the boy was beaten up for going to the primary section before the start of class hours on Thursday. He also said that his son is now suffering from severe psychological issues because the teacher made fun of him in front of his classmates.

The father told local media that he received a phone call from the director of the Jeddah Education Department, who said that the case is being followed up by the minister of education personally, and that his directorate will investigate the matter before taking any regulatory or legal procedures against the teacher.

The Kingdom is trying to implement a ban on chastisement at schools as part of a global initiative to end corporal punishment. According to circulars issued by the Ministry of Education, schools in the Kingdom are advised not to use corporal punishment.

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