Concern over teacher's chair-throwing incident
Published on: Sunday, April 23, 2017
KUALA NERANG: Secondary and primary school heads need to be more proactive in identifying signs and symptoms of stress or depression suffered by teachers, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.He said it was necessary to ensure that early counselling assistance could be given to these teachers, thereby preventing them from acting aggressively and ultimately endangering the lives of students."If teachers are distressed, they need to be kept away from students and at the same time given counselling assistance," he told reporters after the opening ceremony of the Bumiputera Education Roadshow at the Padang Terap Parliamentary constituency in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato Syed Ahmad, here, Saturday.ADVERTISEMENT Mahdzir recounted an incident where a Year Two pupil suffered a head injury and received eight stitches after being hit by a wooden chair thrown by a teacher at SK Sugud in Penampang, Sabah, on Friday.However, he said if the principal or headmaster himself was the cause of stress, teachers could report to the district education office or State Education Director.Meanwhile, the Parent Action Group for Education (Page) expressed deep concern for the chair-throwing incident.Its Chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said nothing would justify a teacher flinging a chair at a child and wants the authorities to look into this matter very seriously.ADVERTISEMENT She said the teacher in question should be fired if found guilty, even if he or she shows remorse and regardless of whether the child's parents initiate a case."We stand firm that teachers who assault, bully, threaten, or victimise students sexually, verbally or physically should be kept away from students immediately pending investigation.
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"Once the teacher is found guilty, he or she should be fired," Noor Azimah said in a statement.It was reported that the boy's mother, who wanted to be known as Wanie, said she would not be pursuing legal action following discussions with the teacher, the school and the Sabah Education Department.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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However, Noor Azimah said parents should not be afraid to take action against the teacher as "children have a right to be protected from irresponsible adults."According to the State Education Department, the teacher involved in the incident has since been instructed to stop teaching for the time being and has been assigned a desk job at the district education office.