Secondary School Student in Belu Remains Hospitalised After Assault by Teacher
A secondary school student at SMA Negeri 1 Atambua in Belu, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Zivania Martins Naibuti (16), remains hospitalised at the Gabriel Manek Regional General Hospital in Atambua following a physical assault by her biology teacher. The incident occurred when she was unable to draw a nerve cell diagram during an examination.
According to her father, Simon Nai Buti, the student has been hospitalised since the incident on Tuesday, 24 February 2026. Although Zivania remains conscious, she continues to complain of headaches and nausea. She has undergone a CT scan, though results are still pending.
The incident occurred during a biology examination comprising 30 questions. When all 33 students in the class proved unable to answer question 30, which required drawing a nerve cell, the substitute biology teacher Vince Aplugi became enraged and struck Zivania on the head with a bottle containing mineral water. He subsequently struck all students in the class systematically.
After Zivania disposed of the bottle in a rubbish bin, Aplugi returned to demand to know who had discarded it. Upon her admission, he violently pulled her hair repeatedly, threw her onto a table, and slapped her until she lost consciousness. When classmates alerted him that Zivania had fainted, he reportedly stated it was not his concern and left the classroom.
The class supervisor subsequently telephoned her parents, reporting that Zivania was experiencing respiratory distress and convulsions. Upon arrival at school, her father found her lying on a chair, being held by her class supervisor and fellow students.
Since the incident, neither the school administration nor Aplugi has made any effort to apologise or visit the hospitalised student. The school’s head, Dominikus Seran Bria, only met with the family on Thursday, 26 February 2026, following a summons from the Belu Regional House of Representatives Commission III.
The father stated that he has reported the matter to the Belu Police Station, but investigators have indicated they will await the victim’s full recovery before taking formal statements. The head of the criminal investigation unit at Belu Police, AKP Rachmat Hidayat, confirmed that no witnesses have yet been interviewed, and that the investigation will proceed once the victim is discharged from hospital. The assault charges relate to physical violence using a mineral water bottle, hair pulling, and throwing the victim onto a chair, resulting in loss of consciousness and head trauma.