Odense: Reports of abuse at Somali school

It's completely unacceptable to beat children, and under no circumstances should it happen at a school, says Jane Gegind, of the Department for Children and Youth in the Odense municipality. "I had asked the department head to report the ABC school to the police. This is improper."

The report to the police comes after DR Fyn reported today that students in the Somali weekend school in Vollsmose in Odense were treated especially roughly. A wrong or too slow answer to a question could trigger punishment, a beating of the fingers.

The ABC school in Bøgeparken is under report after a boy told that the children were beat on their fingers in class.

One of the episodes is from December, when a Somali boy approached his teacher at Abildgård school to tell him that he was hit by a teacher from the ABC school.

School inspector Allan Feldskou confirms the story. The leisure department in the Odense municipality also confirms reports of violence at ABC school.

"Some of the students complained that they had been hit in the Saturday school. If the students weren't attentive or didn't follow the lesson in other ways, they were beat on their fingers with a rod. Students naturally shouldn't be treated this way, and it is very unacceptable. We have therefore warned the the head of ABC school and said that if we'll hear one more time about it, we'll reoprt him to the police," says Paul Hansen, leisure consultant at the at the leiusre department at odense municipality.


The head of ABC school, Muhammed Farah, denied all the complainted of violence against students in the school.

"We discipline the children in a good way. Our association doesn't accept hitting children. That is forbidden," says Muhammed Farah.

The ABC-Skol in Vollsmose is a private weekend school, and therefore according to the Odense municipality, there's no obligation for oversight.

Source: DR, DR TV (Danish)