Reprimand those behind caging boy in school, says education group

SHAH ALAM - The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) says educationists who placed a standard one boy in a cage at school should be reprimanded.

Its chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the Education Ministry should review and enforce the current policy to ensure school is a safe place for students.

"There must be SOPs for school leaders and counsellors to follow where incidents such as mischief is involved. Locking up a student in a cage, even for a brief moment, is not one of them," Azimah said.

Social media users had expressed frustration over caging the boy recently.

Azimah urged for an independent investigation to rightfully reprimand those incharge.

"As for the student who has been traumatised by the whole affair, adequate steps should be taken over time, including psychological measures to ensure he overcomes the trauma completely.

"Accountability among school leaders and the teaching profession has always been lacking because the education ministry sanctions it," she said.

Social media user Azuan Abd Ghafar took to Twitter to share a screenshot of a conversation on WhatsApp that shed light on a disturbing incident.

The conversation centred around a father expressing concern and questioning the actions of a teacher who had allegedly isolated his son and locked him up in a cage.

"Why would you lock up a standard one boy in a cage? The room is equipped with a TNB box. What if he plays with it and something happens?

"No matter what, the teacher should not take such action," he said while insisting on meeting with both the teacher responsible and the school principal to address the issue.

The father later said his son had tried to pull down a classmate's trousers before he was reprimanded by the teacher. The boy's father, who did not want to be named, said he had apologised to the classmate's parents for his son's joke that went overboard.