The Acting Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Education Service says teachers in public schools tend to be more disciplined than their counterparts in the private schools.

Rev Jonathan Bettey believes the training received by the teachers in public schools makes them more professional in relating to the pupils than the private school teachers.

"The teachers in public schools have been trained and abide by a code of conduct,” he said on Joy FM's Ghana Connect programme during a discussion on a reported case of child abuse against a pupil of the Mary Mother of Good Counsel school.

The eight-year-old boy was tied with his mouth taped by his teacher as punishment for talking too much in class.

Angered by the treatment, the parent of the child sued the school demanding punitive measures against the headmistress of the school and the teacher in question who was only named as Ms Turkson.

The parent is also demanding compensation from the school for the trauma the child had gone through and the cost involved in getting a new school for her child.

The school is yet to publicly comment on the matter and the court is also yet to take a decision as well.

But on Ghana Connect, the GES PRO cannot fathom how a teacher will tie a child and sellotape his mouth.

"That is barbaric" Rev Jonathan Betterh said. He suspects the teacher may be an inexperienced SSS leaver who may not be abreast with issues of professionalism.

He said even though the GES can conduct periodic supervision over the private schools, it has no real power over them.

"It is like somebody coming to your house to discipline you," he suggested, noting however that some of the private schools are notorious.

A proprietress with a private school named only as Nancy partly disagreed with the notion that private school teachers are indisciplined.

She argued it may well be the case that parents of pupils in private schools are more assertive and a bit more concerned about what happens to their kids.