Tuition centre ordered to close following abuse probe
JOHOR BARU: A tuition centre here has been ordered to close pending an investigation into child abuse claims involving a pupil who was scalded with a heated wok by a tuition teacher.
Johor Education, Information, Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the decision was made after the case was highlighted by a family member of the 7-year-old victim.
Since Monday, police have arrested three of the centre’s staff — two female teachers and a male teacher’s assistant, aged between 23 and 34.
The centre is in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Skudai.
It was learnt that the tuition centre operates two other subsidiaries in Taman Perling and Taman Skudai Indah.
It could not be established if they were ordered to cease operations.
The number of students affected by the closure could not be determined.
A source from the state Welfare Department said the department was waiting for the green light from the family to visit the victim, who is a Year One pupil of a Chinese school here. The boy is being treated at a public hospital.
It was reported that the female tuition teacher allegedly beat the boy with a rotan so severely that she left marks on his body.
She allegedly tried to “erase” the wounds by applying heated wok and cups on the boy’s buttocks, leaving him with seconddegree burns.
The victim allegedly escaped his tuition teacher’s house and hid with a neighbour, who later informed the boy’s 24year-old sister about the incident about 5pm on Sunday.
The boy’s sister lodged a report about 10pm the same day.
Images of the victim’s badly-burnt body, which were submitted as part of the report, were also circulated on social media, to the horror of Netizens.