NUTP: Expulsion needed to address indiscipline

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Union of Teaching Profession Malaysia (NUTP) objects to a proposal by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to abolish the expulsion of problematic students.

NUTP secretary-general Harry Tan said teachers were not able to control and rehabilitate students with serious disciplinary issues, such as drug abuse, gangsterism and absenteeism.

“It (expulsion) is for gross indiscipline cases that could lead to crime. This includes repeated cases of bullying, stealing, fighting, extortion, molestation and rape. There are even cases where students don’t come to school regularly and are eventually expelled.

“In such cases, teachers try their best to intervene by going to the students’ homes, but these kids either come from broken homes or their parents just don’t care. After a series of warning letters and visits to their homes, we have no choice but to expel them,” he told the New Sunday Times yesterday.

He said social issues that were once attributed to secondary schools were now occurring in primary schools.

Tan said schools needed effective rules to save students from negative elements.

“Disciplinary problems and expulsion should be viewed as welfare cases.”

He said the ministry had to address the problem to help change problematic students, adding that there were rehabilitation centres, such as Asrama Akhlak, Sekolah Tunas Bakti dan Taman Seri Puteri, to handle such students.

He said the union supported Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid’s statement that expulsion was relevant for students who had disciplinary issues.