He pointed to the case of a schoolchild who died as a result of corporal punishment administered by a headmaster in 1860.

BBC: Boy with placard

In a letter on Nov. 21, current headmaster David Harman, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, strongly disputed the comparison with Penn State and, in a letter to the school community, detailed steps that had been taken.

WSJ: Abuse Claims Roil School

When CNN visited a Mathabisana primary school in Umguza, in the southwest of Zimbabwe, headmaster Nonkululeko Ndlovu said that at one point teachers used charcoal as a substitute for chalk.

CNN: Zimbabwe schools begin fightback