Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Amal Ghabayen and Banan Malkawi - Family of 11-year old Saleh Duweikat, who permanently lost his right eye after his teacher slammed his face into a closet for attempting to drink from the 'teacher's' water cooler Thursday, accepted a tribal 'Confession Atwah' (a truce period given in tribe code systems, whereby the perpetrator admits guilt, and a contract is signed to maintain calm between disputing parties until final reconciliation agreement) for the period of one month as of February 26, 2010.

The tribal truce agreement was signed between the child's family and a delegation of tribal notables, headed by Sheikh Badr Jamil Al Abbadi, on Friday evening at the hospital where the sixth grader, Saleh Duweikat, is receiving treatment.

Duweikat told 'Ammon News' correspondents on Friday that he is afraid to return to school and 'lose his other eye.'

Duweikat, only 11 years old, said that he forgives the teacher and wishes authorities would release the teacher from jail as soon as possible 'because the jail is cold and dark,' and so that the teacher would ‘return to his wife and kids.’

Duweikat however stated that he hopes the Ministry of Education would not allow the teacher to return to the school because "I am afraid for the eyes of the rest of the students," he told 'Ammon News.'

Um Saleh, who on Friday remains in shock over what had happened to her son, wondered how she will trust sending the rest of her children to school, noting that she has 3 boys and 3 girls.

The mother noted how ironic it is to receive brochures from her kids' schools that give advice to parents on how to raise their children and awareness pamphlets against family violence and children's rights, noting that the schools send such pamphlets back home with the students for parents' awareness, meanwhile, her son is severely beaten at school.

Heba, Saleh's sister who is the eldest of her siblings and is in seventh grade, said that although teachers at her school do not assault students, yet she said she is afraid that such incidents would recur with other students.

Dewikat, the 11-year old sixth grader had lost his right eye Thursday after one of his teachers attacked him and slammed him into a closet for entering the teacher's room to drink from the water cooler at Imam Shafi'e Elementary School (public school) in Jabal Qusur in Amman.

In the details of the incident, Duweikat's father told 'Ammon News' that he received a phone call Thursday morning from the school's Vice President informing him that his son had been beaten by a teacher and that the son was admitted into the state-run Prince Hamzeh hospital.

The father added that he was shocked upon hearing his son screaming of pain and seeing the son's eye completely yanked of its place, without any action from doctors at Prince Hamzeh hospital.

The doctors justified that they couldn't take any measures throughout two hours from the time Duweikat was admitted 'because they do not have the capabilities to treat his condition.'

The father added that when he tried to take his son to be treated at a private hospital, the management at Prince Hamzeh hospital tried to prevent him until security measures are completed. The father refused and carried his son out of the hospital at his own responsibility and admitted him into a private hospital.

A 4-hour emergency surgery was performed on the 11 year old Thursday night, and another one will be performed on Saturday to treat severe fractures in the skull and facial bones. The doctor who performed the surgery said that the child would require more than five cosmetic operations on his eye, yet told the child’s family that there is no hope for Saleh to see again with his right eye, and that the operations are merely cosmetic to alleviate psychological pain in the future.

In details of the beating incident, the sixth grader had walked into the teacher's hall to drink from the water cooler there. Without any prior warning, one teacher hailed on Duweikat assaulting him and slammed the student's face into a closet door, causing three fractures in facial bones and displacing the eye from its base.

Duweikat's mother, who couldn't stop crying while talking to 'Ammon News,' wondered "Now that my son had lost his eye, will concerned officials take measures against such violations, or will they wait until he loses his other eye?"

On his part, Minister of Education Ibrahim Badran promised during a visit to the student Thursday night at the hospital to take the sternest measures against the teacher, who according to the school principal has a previous record of violent behavior towards students.

Previous complaints against the teacher have been filed at Amman's fourth Education District.

The Minister of Education did not even indicate whether the Ministry would take at least the financial responsibility of the child's treatment at the hospital, especially considering that the incident took place on school grounds and during school hours. The minister left the hospital without giving any statements in this regard.

It is noted that the students parents refused to sign a contractual security "Atwah" on Thursday, yet accepted a tribal confession ‘Atwah’ on Friday.

The sixth grader told 'Ammon News' on Friday that although he will not return to school no matter what happens, he 'apologizes for entering the teacher's room' and noted that he wished he would have "died of thirst instead of entering the teacher's room which has changed the course of my life for ever."

The student noted that he and his classmates got used to drinking from the water cooler in the teacher's room because the school's water tanks have a foul taste. Duweikat said that he was surprised by the angry teacher who hailed on beating him even before he got a chance to take a sip of water, noting that he did not comprehend what had happened to him except that he was suffering from extreme pain.