Teacher hits student for 'showing off'

Teacher hits student for 'showing off'

SELANGOR - A teacher in Malaysia picked up a chair and started hitting a male student repeatedly, injuring his face, arms and legs because she felt he was "showing off" in front of his classmates.

The teacher then allegedly threatened the boy not to tell anyone else about the incident or face expulsion from the school in Rawang, Selangor.

The 14-year-old is now traumatised and has not gone back to school since the incident on Aug 28, claims his mother.

Janpiter Steeman was in the midst of doing his lessons when he ran out of ink and tapped his pen on the table, reported The Star.

His mother, Ms S. Gangga Devi, 48, said the replacement teacher got angry with his behaviour and made him stand up.

"He bent down to continue writing and the teacher scolded him and told him to go stand at the back of class," she said.

She said her son felt pain in his leg after standing for a few minutes and tried to move his leg.

The teacher got furious as she thought that he was showing off and being disobedient.

Ms Gangga Devi, a chendol seller, said the teacher then hit him repeatedly with a chair until his arm started bleeding.

"I was shocked when he told me what had happened after he got home from school," she said, adding that she lodged a police report, before taking Janpiter to hospital.

'She was rude'

"I went to the school on Sept 3 to get an explanation from the teacher, but she was rude and did not apologise.

"She admitted hitting my son and asked me what I could do about it. The headmaster then offered to pay me RM280 (S$110) to withdraw the police report," she said.

Ms Gangga Devi, whose husband is a labourer, said Janpiter was now terrified of returning to school.

She said: "How could a teacher hit my son so badly and think she can get away with it?"

Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan, when informed about the incident, immediately contacted the school.

"This is a very serious matter. We cannot allow such behaviour by teachers," he said, promising a full investigation.

Meanwhile, a source from the school confirmed that the incident had taken place and said the teacher had been reprimanded by the school on previous occasions for mistreating other students.

Gombak OCPD Assistant Commissioner Abdul Rahim Abdullah confirmed the case, adding that it was being investigated.


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