Violent, abusive teachers should NOT be tolerated

A pregnant teacher blamed her hormones for hitting and insulting a pupil over homework in Ijok, Selangor last month with no action taken.

Her angry mother, who is a single parent, was rightfully angry at the treatment her daughter received, and even more so when the school did not take action against the teacher, going as far as to warn the pupil to stay silent.

Tee Lay Goon, the pupil’s mother, said the actions of the teacher was unacceptable as they left emotional and physical scars on her daughter.

“Hitting her and overturning a table is bad enough, but she also taunted my daughter for not having a father.

“Not having a husband is my business, not my daughter’s fault. The teacher cannot use this to belittle my daughter,” said the mother of three.

She discovered the incident when she saw red marks on her daughter's body as she was coming out from the shower.

Tee claimed that the school headmistress had also warned her daughter “to keep her mouth shut” about the incident.

The teacher has since apologised, but Tee does not think that hormonal fluctuations is a good enough excuse. In fact, there should be no excuse for violence.

“The teacher is an adult. If she is unable to control her emotions, then it’s best for her to not be a teacher in case she causes harm to other children, too,” Tee said.

She lodged a police report after sending her daughter for a medical check-up.

This incident prompted Jia Zong, an association representing parents of children in Chinese schools to protest to the Education Ministry via a memorandum calling for sterner action against teachers who behave violently towards students.

The memorandum details cases of student mistreatment over the last two years.

Wong Foh Sang, president of Jia Zong, said that the ministry has taken no action despite multiple cases of teachers using violence on students.

“Teachers will become daring if the ministry does not handle these situations accordingly,” he said outside the Selangor Education Department.

What would you do if you discovered your child's teacher was violent?