YOURSAY | ‘After this incident, would any student dare complain…’

Absent from school: Ain served with warning letter

Dr Raman Letchumanan: The government, Education Ministry, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP), and the school principal seem to have ganged up on this girl, who went public with a complaint and for good reasons.

A teacher allegedly telling a mixed class of teens about who best to rape is not a joke. It is more hideous, given that this is an advice on how to rape and get away with it.

Whatever the reason, the school should have proactively settled this matter, considering the seriousness of the misconduct. The girl went public after the school did not take her complaint seriously.

Now the principal of the school allegedly had gone on a personal vendetta against this girl, threatening to expel her and posting abusive comments in public against her. In the midst of all this, there is absolutely no news about what action is being taken against the teacher.

Granted there is a police report - again no information on its progress - the school should have held an internal inquiry and make a conclusive decision which is fair for both parties.

After all, it is easy to establish whether those remarks were said in an open class. The student who made the rape threat apologised but the teacher is seemingly protected by the school.

There may be disagreements about the nature of the complaint, but I think what divided the nation is the fact that she went public. Is that a bigger crime than the complaint itself? The public may have differing views; that is natural, based on their beliefs and affiliations.

But what is surprising is that this one simple complaint has been seen as an affront to the government and its public institutions. Rather than dealing with it summarily, the institutions have taken it as a serious blow to its reputation and dignity, and have come down hard with an iron first.

But these public institutions are there to serve the people and are paid for by the people. Personal reputation has no place in the running of these institutions.

Is this how the government welcomes feedback or complaints from the public? Do they look down on youths and students as a nuisance and expect them to acquiesce like sheep? After this incident, would anyone dare raise any complaint, even if a student is actually raped or sexually assaulted in school?

The government has only itself to blame for making this into a divisive national issue. They could have handled it better, but it seems they are digging in against this girl.

In the midst of all this, the 400,000 teachers we hold in high regard are caught in this mess. Unwittingly, their good name is dragged through the mud. There are students who misbehave and teachers who do so too. Never have I seen an obvious misconduct in school becoming a national debate.

This is a case of just one girl. What about the “period checking” cases? I dread to think what kind of monster that issue will evolve into. The government should be well-advised not to be defensive and sweep these issues under the carpet.

They have to answer to the rakyat when the time comes. And frankly, they messed it up themselves big time by taking sides.

BrownPhoenix8773: I was a principal before. I sympathise with Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam as the Education Ministry is reluctant to take action against teachers as the legal process is very difficult. There are many instances where legal actions have been thrown out in the courts because of technicalities.

It is a pity the school has decided to follow this path on Ain. Has a show-cause letter or suspension been given to the schoolmate who admitted his actions?

Vijay47: Both principal actors in this tragedy draw opposing sentiments from the public.

At stage left, there is the invisible education minister nobody seems to have seen hide nor hair of. He was last heard murmuring something about waiting for Godot and a report on the abuse of schoolgirls. Like us, he must be still waiting.

In his stead, we have the school principal roaring into action and, as is typical in Malaysia, making threats not at the teacher and male student concerned, but at the victim.

If the minister had any streak of commitment towards the responsibilities and expectations of the office unwisely thrust upon him, he would demand to know what action has been taken against the two perpetrators and why the victim is being warned of dismissal.

Mind you, the student did not go AWOL. She stayed home on her father’s decision; a fact made known to the school authorities. But to place hope in any minister would be another naive futility.

Then we have Ain herself. This is a young lady who went against the grain and decided that enough was enough, that intrusions into privacy were deplorable and should not be allowed to continue.

For Ain’s brave stand, the public supports her while the school chooses to brand her guilty, earning further contempt. Fortunately, the apple does not fall far from the family tree, her firm spirit obviously inherited from her father’s resolve. Yet the toll on her must be immense.

The greater shame is that other schoolchildren will be discouraged from voicing out against abuse and humiliation. Especially when the clear message is “Don’t mess with those in power.”

Retired Teacher: (Ain’s father) Saiful Nizam Ab Wahab, no student can be expelled for not being in school for a few days.

The Education Ministry has policies which state that a student who is absent for 30 days without any excuse can be expelled. But if reasons are given and the school still issues letters of warning, you can take this school to court.

The principal and the student affairs senior assistant are digging their own graves. Don’t be threatened by what they are saying.

At the end of the day, the ministry still gives parents and students the benefit of the doubt. Keep all letters, WhatsApp messages and communications. Print them out as back-up. You are not alone in this, sir.

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