The governor of Fayoum has suspended a teacher on Sunday for cutting a strand of hair from a fifth grade pupil as "punishment for not wearing the Islamic veil," reported Egypt's state news agency MENA.

 

The incident occurred on Thursday in the Upper Egypt governorate.

 

The pupil, Nora, said in media interviews her Religion Teacher shoved her on the head, struck her fingers with a pen, before cutting a strand of her hair using a cutter.

 

The pupil said she pleaded with the instructor not to punish her, promising she would wear the veil in the future, but the teacher insisted on taking action.

 

No laws in Egypt mandate that women wear the veil. 

 

Similar incidents of teachers penalising girls for not wearing the veil have been reported in 2012 and 2014.

 

Physical abuse against school children in Egypt is widely reported, despite legislation that explicitly criminalises it.