In the news - Parent demands RM12 mln from teachers over alleged abuses

Posted on May 8, 2011, Sunday BorneoPost. 08.05.2011

KUCHING: A parent of twopupils of a government primary school in Sibu has sent alegal letter to eight teachers there demanding a RM12million compensation for alleged physical and mental abuses.

Sarawak Teachers’Union (STU) president William Ghani Bina yesterday said the parent, a lawyer byprofession, had also lodged a report against theeight teachers but had yet to present medical evidence of the allegedabuses.

“I do not thinkour teachers would do that because we know how todiscipline students. Parents should be appreciative of teachers disciplining students.

“Having a parent issue a summons toeight teachers all from one primary school is something. Ido not think the claim is true because there is no medical report,” he told thepress after officiating at the STU Kuching Branch annual generalmeeting (AGM).

Ghani pointed out that teachers meantwell when they disciplined students but if such a gesture wasmisconstrued, they might not make the effort in future.

“When students are naughty in class,it might mean that they lack discipline or parents could not discipline them.We, asteachers, do not only teach but also discipline students.

“However, if parents donot want teachers to discipline students and just teach, wecan do that. When the school bell rings, we go into the classroom andteach; when another bell sets off, we leave the classroom and do nothing more.We can do this if this is what the community wants,” he said.

The legal letter,he said, would be referred to STU legal adviser Baru Bian, who is Ba Kelalanassemblyman and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak liaison chief.

Theunion’s secretariat received a copy of the letter on Fridayand the incident is said to have taken place last February.

In general, Ghani said parents in the state hadbeen cooperative with teachers.

“Parents of some of my students whobumped into me actually thanked me for disciplining their children. Theyappreciate what the teachers had done for their children.”

 

KataPengetua:

Sebagai guru, tidak dapat mengawal tindakan ibubapa walaupun kita tidak bersetuju dengan tindakan sedemikian. Walaubagaimanapun, kita boleh mengawal tindakan kita sendiri. Oleh itu, dalam kitahendak mengawal disiplin pelajar, kita juga perlu berhati-hai supaya tindakankita itu adalah dalam lingkungan had yang dibenarkan oleh arahan / pekeliling.