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Boy, 10, dies after being beaten to death by headmaster in front of entire schoolKhyalmat Khan was beaten to death by his headteacher.CommentsNewsBenedict Tetzlaff-Deas News Reporter and

Emma O'Neill Assistant Live News Editor12:34, 01 Jun 2025(Image: Getty Images) A 10-year-old boy has tragically died after his headteacher beat him to death in front of the entire school.

Year 6 pupil Khyalmat Khan was mercilessly hit with a rod by headmaster Waqar Ahmed at a private school in northern Pakistan yesterday, passing away from his injuries mere hours later in

hospital. According to local police reports, Khyalmat was pulled out during assembly, taken before his peers and struck on the head, face, and back.

‌ Witnesses claimed the harsh punishment was for a 'minor' mistake. Following the incident, the headteacher was detained, with an investigation into the tragic event now underway.

‌ The harrowing ordeal took place in Jamrud, within Pakistan's Khyber tribal district, reports the Mirror.

Speaking about the tragedy, Khyber District Police Officer Rai Mazhar Iqbal declared: "Violence against children and women will not be tolerated under any circumstances."

He further stated: "No one has the right to misuse the noble role of a teacher to commit such brutality. A teacher is a spiritual guardian, but this man has dishonoured the sanctity of the

profession."

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Despite the ban on corporal punishment enacted in Pakistan in 2021 following several high-profile cases of fatal beatings in schools, workplaces, and religious institutions, it appears some

educational establishments continue to practise it.

Pakistan has the world's second-largest number of children out of school, estimated at around 24 million, with many citing beatings by teachers as their main reason for staying away.

‌ Campaigners speak out, among them former lawmaker Mehnaz Akber Aziz, who last month emphasised that Pakistan needs "a comprehensive set of measures" to eradicate corporal punishment

nationwide, noting that "laws alone are not enough".

She suggested the implementation of public education campaigns, teacher training and child helplines as strategies to deter the use of physical punishment in schools.

In The News, Ms Aziz remarked: "School should be a place of hope and opportunity, where children are safe to learn and develop the skills and experiences they need to thrive."

‌ Stressing the urgency of the matter, she continued: "Corporal punishment is incompatible with that vision. Making the physical and degrading punishment of children unlawful should be

central to the efforts to tackle illiteracy and poverty."

Tragic cases highlight the issue, such as in 2021, when an eight year old boy was allegedly beaten to death by his teacher for failing to memorise a lesson in Vehari city, Punjab.

And another harrowing incident in 2020 involved an eight year old girl working as a maid in Islamabad, who was beaten to death by her employers after accidentally freeing their pet parrots.

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