The Education Ministry will be taking appropriate action based on the investigation report from the authorities following the incident involving a 11-year-old student who suffered a heat stroke after being forced to stand in the sun for nearly three hours.
“The ministry does not compromise on any misconduct that could affect the wellbeing and safety of the schooling community,” said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, as reported by New Straits Times.
So, the question now is WHY has the said teacher perpetrator been charged yet?
See earlier post
Minister Fadhlina Sidek must APOLOGIZE and ensure teacher perpetrators charged in court for 'torture' of 11 year old, asked to stand under the sun - now became a person with disabilities
Pix for visual purposes only - BERNAMApix PETALING JAYA: An 11-year-old student who suffered a heatstroke after being forced to stand in the sun for nearly three hours has since been diagnosed with a nerve condition and is now considered a person with disabilities (PwD).
According to New Straits Times, the Standard Five student’s nerve condition is a result of the heatstroke he suffered.
The student’s mother stated that Ampang Hospital in Selangor has provided the family with a reference letter to be assessed as a PwD due to the health issues with which he has been diagnosed with .
She explained that her son used to often play with his siblings but now, he hides a lot and talks to himself.
“The hospital informed me that I can’t send my son to a regular school anymore because of his health issues.
“They say I have to send him to a school for special needs children now,“ she was quoted as saying.
Their lawyer Dinesh Muthal said that he would be filing a civil suit on the family’s behalf against all those involved in the case.
He explained that the incident has caused a lot of stress to the parents, especially to the mother who is three months’ pregnant.
“They now have to come to terms with the fact that their son will never lead a normal life.
“Apart from a civil suit, we want the teacher involved to be charged in court and be given an appropriate sentence (if found guilty),“ he reportedly said.
Ampang Jaya district police chief ACP Mohd Azam Ismail had previously said that investigations revealed that the suspect, a local male teacher, 37, had punished the victim along with three other friends to allegedly 10 minutes of the punishment.
“A
medical officer’s check revealed that the victim suffered heat
exhaustion. The investigation is complete and has been referred to the
Selangor public prosecutor’s office for further action,” he said. - The Sun, 30/5/2024
Questions over case of schoolboy disabled after being made to stand in the sun
Teacher who abused the pupil must be punished, say child activists.
Updated 6 months ago · Published on 06 Jun 2024 8:00AM
THERE are many unanswered questions surrounding the case of an 11-year-old schoolboy who was left disabled after he was made to stand under the sun by a teacher for hours, child activists said.
They condemned the teacher's action as abusive while also questioning the lack of supervision by the school administrators.
The boy had suffered heatstroke after being forced to stand in the sun for nearly three hours. He has since been diagnosed with a nerve condition and is now considered a person with disabilities (PWD).
"Didn’t anyone in the whole school notice that there was a student standing still in the hot sun and?" asked Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim of Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia.
"Did anyone even make an effort to alert the office or ask why? There would have been at least one period change when students and teachers moved around. It is impossible that the student was not seen.
"Were the school leaders in their air-conditioned rooms and not doing their rounds?" she added, adding that the school administration must be held responsible and the teacher sacked for poor judgment.
"Was the teacher who meted out the punishment untouchable? Was this a case of favouritism?"
Dr Hartini Zainudin of Yayasan Chow Kit said it was time to introduce a child protection policy in childcare centres, preschools, and schools.
“There must be regular audits," she told The Vibes.
She said that no teacher should be allowed to punish their charges by making them stand in the sun, especially during a heatwave.
"Has the teacher in question been suspended from work pending an investigation? Endangering life, especially that of a child, is a serious offence under both the Child Act 2001 and the Penal Code," she said.
"Is there any investigation into the school and its principal, who may have been aware of the child standing in the sun? Did they take any measures to protect the child and stop the abuse?"
She called for an immediate and thorough review of current practices and policies to identify and address any gap in child protection.
"We call on the government to enforce strict regulations and oversight mechanisms to guarantee that child protection policies are not only established but rigorously followed. There must be regular audits, mandatory reporting of any incidents, and swift disciplinary action against those who fail to comply," she said.
Ampang Jaya district police chief Mohd Azam Ismail had previously said that investigations had revealed that the suspect, a male teacher, 37, had punished the boy and three others for "10 minutes".
“A medical officer’s check revealed that the victim suffered heat exhaustion. The investigation has been completed and referred to the Selangor public prosecutor’s office for further action,” he was quoted as saying.
Teacher
must not be be allowed to punish their charges by making them stand in
the sun, especially during a heatwave, say activists. – The Vibes file
pic, June 6, 2024.Yesterday, the family complained in a media conference that the authorities were deviating from the main issue in the case.
Instead of focusing on how the boy was punished and taking action against the culprit, they said the police were trying to establish if the boy was disabled before the incident.
Dayalan Sreebalan, the family spokesman, said the authorities were focused on the student's disabilities rather than the crime of the teacher.
"The police report made by the mother was about the punishment meted out by the teacher on the student and nothing about the child's (disabled) status. But the police investigation is more focused on the boy's status. They are now trying to imply that he had developed the condition prior to the incident," he said.
Code of conduct for teachers
Politician turned activist Lee Lam Thye said it was important that the government inteoduced a stringent code of conduct for teachers that prohibits excessive punishment, especially in relation to sensitive issues of race and religion.
He added that the code should be clearly communicated to all teachers and rigorously enforced
"As part of their training, teachers must be instilled with awareness programmes on issues of diversity, multiculturalism, and racial and religious sensitivity. These programmes should focus on promoting understanding, empathy, mutual respect, and unity for all races, cultures, and all strata of society."
"Additionally, the ministry could establish an anonymous reporting mechanism for students, parents, and fellow teachers to report instances of misconduct by teachers affecting the safety of students," the former member of parliament said.
Punishment as a last resport
National Parent-Teacher Association Collaborative Council president Prof Mohamad Ali Hassan said punishment should be the last resort.
Students who commit wrongdoing should receive advice and counselling from teachers, he said.
"I hope teachers will take note of this incident and not repeat it. They must not focus on punishment; instead, they need a more approachable measure. Punishment should not be on the list.
"Before taking any action, seek advice from the headmaster.
"This incident should not have happened in the first place." – June 6, 2024, Vibes.
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