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AMMAN — A new attack on a teacher took place late last week, marking the third assault on educators this year, according to the Jordan Teachers Association (JTA).
Ihab Rantisi, the victim of the latest incident, who serves in a private school in Amman, was “obeying the rules” when the mother of a student reportedly hit him with her car.
“I told the woman not to enter the campus with her car as it was crowded and the school’s rules prohibit this. I did not want to jeopardise students’ safety,” Rantisi told The Jordan Times over the phone on Sunday.
However, the mother shouted at the teacher then hit him.
“Her words were: ‘What business is it of yours. An insect preventing me from entering. I will go in even if that means running you over’. And that is exactly what she did,” he recounted.
Rantisi is still in hospital suffering from severe bruises on his arm and leg.
Apart from the physical injury, the incident had a psychological effect on the maths teacher, making him question the value of educating the younger generation while not being respected by their parents.
“The incident took place in front of students and teachers,” the 12th grade teacher said, adding that the parent threatened to put him in jail and filed a “malicious” lawsuit against him.
“She accused me of harassing her,” Rantisi said.
Mustafa Qudah, head of the JTA Amman branch, condemned the incident, calling on authorities to arrest the attacker.
“I will head to the governor’s office tomorrow [Monday] to request the arrest of the woman. I cannot understand the level some people reached in undermining our teachers,” Qudah told The Jordan Times.
Rantisi said he believes in the “integrity of the Jordanian legal system” and will wait for justice to take its course.
“I will not withdraw the charges under any circumstances, especially after knowing that the woman falsely accused me of harassing her. I will only drop charges if she agrees to publically apologise on TV,” the father of three said.
JTA Spokesperson Ayman Okour said the syndicate is following up on the case.
Attacks on teachers are continuing even after the Cabinet approved amendments to the Penal Code late last year that stiffen penalties against those who assault educators and medical personnel.
The amended law, which was referred to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau, stipulates no less than a one-year prison term for those who attack teachers, faculty members at colleges and universities, nurses and doctors while they are on duty.
The punishment also applies if the educators or healthcare workers are attacked for an action or decision they have taken in their professional capacity.
While the JTA has announced its support for the move, it has also called for more police patrols and guards outside schools to prevent attacks.
The Education Ministry has announced that its legal division is following up on all assaults and charges against the assailant will not be dropped even if the targeted educators decide to do so. The JTA registered around 100 attacks on teachers in 2015.