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A teacher at Shaba Higher Secondary School in Paro has been charged with child battery after allegedly subjecting students to corporal punishment for scoring below a benchmark set by the teacher in the subject he teaches.
According to Paro police, the teacher was charged on 26th July following an investigation into the incident, which was reported to police on 16th July.
Police said the investigation found that the teacher used a rubber pipe to strike students who had scored below the bench mark set by the teacher.
Although several students were allegedly subjected to the punishment, only one student lodged a formal complaint with police.
“Only one student reported the incident to us. However, the teacher had beaten several students in the same manner,” police said.
Police said the student who reported the incident had sustained visible injuries.
“There were bruises, particularly on the buttocks,” police said.
Following the investigation, the teacher was charged with child battery, and the case has been forwarded to the Paro Dzongkhag Court for further legal proceedings.
A source from Shaba Higher Secondary School told The Bhutanese that two complaints were lodged by the parents of students who were among those subjected to the punishment.
Furthermore, the source said the incident took place on 15th July. The source added that the school relocated the two students who were subjected to the corporal punishment to another school.
The two students include the student who formally reported the incident to police and another student who was also allegedly punished.
According to the source, the parents of both students were taken aback by the punishment and raised concerns.
“As corporal punishment goes against the school’s commitment to student wellbeing, the students have been relocated to another school for their wellbeing,” the source said.
The source added that while several students were allegedly subjected to similar punishment, only the parents of the two transferred students pursued the matter.
“The parents of other students who were also punished acknowledged that their children had been subjected to the same punishment, but said they were fine with it and did not wish to pursue the matter,” the source said.
Following the incident, school officials spoke individually with students.
“When asked individually about the incident, the students said they had also been punished. However, they said they were now alright,” the source said.
The source said the affected students had visible marks from the punishment.
“There was a mark on the child’s buttock. A child’s skin is fragile, so there will be marks when they are beaten,” the source said.
According to the source, students from all four Grade X sections where the teacher teaches were involved in the incident. The punishment was allegedly given to students who scored below a benchmark set by the teacher in Economics subject.
The source said the teacher had informed students beforehand that they would be punished if they failed to achieve the required benchmark. He said, “There was an agreement for students to perform better in the subject, and the benchmark was set for students to obtain a minimum of 55 marks.”
“After the incident, two parents complained about the punishment,” the source added.
According to the source, the two students were relocated to another school on 23rd July in consideration of their wellbeing.
The source further said that the teacher paid for the students’ essential expenses following their transfer.
Police clarified that the students were not necessarily failing the subject. Rather, they had failed to meet a benchmark set by the teacher.
“Even if the teacher had informed students that they would be punished, corporal punishment goes against the law,” police said.
The current School Disciplinary Policy also mentioned that no corporal punishment will be entertained in the school. Recent conversations with the education minister also highlighted that corporal punishment is not allowed in the school.
The Bhutanese reported that the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) is revising the School Discipline Guidelines to strengthen accountability and establish clearer procedures for addressing misconduct, including bullying, violence, and inappropriate disciplinary practices such as corporal punishment.
The revised guidelines will emphasize positive discipline, values education, and student wellbeing while introducing stronger accountability measures for violations.
The MoESD said disciplinary action must follow due process, and schools and school leaders may also be held accountable if they fail to respond appropriately to incidents that compromise students’ safety and wellbeing.
The incident has also raised questions about how schools can maintain academic discipline while protecting students’ physical and emotional wellbeing, particularly when teachers have been trained to use positive and non-violent approaches to classroom management.
