THREE Khamane High School teachers, including the principal, have been charged with assault of a Grade 11 pupil.

Apart from the charges, the Mpumalanga department of education has also fined Snepi Mohlamonyane, Solly Molai and the school principal, Prince Mokwele, R1000 each for assaulting the pupil.

The school is situated in Marapyane outside KwaMhlanga.

But, the three educators feel the department has short-changed them by slapping them with the hefty fine.

One of the teachers who asked not to be named said: "Really, what the department did was unfair. How can they find us guilty while this matter is still being heard in court?"

The three teachers were arrested this week after they allegedly beat up a "stubborn" pupil to a pulp with bare hands.

The pupil had allegedly assaulted his teacher at the weekend. The teacher had punished him for making noise in class during the week.

"It's not true that we assaulted him. All we were trying to do was to get his side of the story after a female teacher complained to school management that he had beaten her up," the teacher said.

After the beaten teacher complained, the school management barred the pupil from setting foot at the school until he brought his parents.

But he refused to do so and instead came to school.

The teacher said they were trying to prevent the pupil from entering the school premises when they "accidentally" knocked him on the nose and he bled.

"It was a minor accident but because he bled, his parents laid an assault charge with the police and education authorities."

The case was postponed to a later date.