Herald Reporter 

A HARARE primary school teacher has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing into allegations that she gave her pupils the choice of suckling her breasts or being caned. 

The matter came to light after one of the Grade Three pupils reported the alleged abuse to his parents. One parent said his son told him that he was asked to choose between suckling the teacher’s breasts or receiving 100 strokes for allegedly making noise. 

The boy chose to suckle the teacher’s breasts which he did together with 14 others. 

The parent said he approached the school headmaster who later summoned the teacher to respond to the allegations. 

It is alleged that the teacher admitted to forcing the children to suckle her breasts but could not give reasons why she had done so. 

The other parents whose children had been forced to suckle the breasts were summoned to the school. The parents then wrote a letter of complaint that was used to make a police report. 

Harare provincial education director Mr Tomax Doba confirmed the incident and said that his office had been furnished with a report from the school. 

"We received a report from the school and the report says it happened. We have already advised them to make a police report and the teacher is likely to face child abuse charges," Mr Doba said. 

He said the teacher has already been suspended pending disciplinary hearing in terms of the procedures of the Public Service Commission. 

"We will simply follow the normal procedures of the public service which requires us to conduct investigations and a disciplinary hearing will be conducted," said Mr Doba.