Future generation may suffer from ‘Anakku Sazali’ syndrome
NUTP urges ministry to issue new circular on permissible punishment for students
NUTP fears that we will raise a generation of spoiled brats if the Education Ministry does not review its list of ‘no-go’ punishments.
MALAYSIA risks having a generation of spoiled and defiant youth in the future if the Education Ministry turns a deaf ear to calls for specific punishments to be meted out to students with disciplinary problems, said the country’s teachers.
The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) yesterday said it couldn’t stress enough on the need for a new and more specific set of punishments that would be allowed in setting students with disciplinary issues straight.
Their point would, however, be moot as the ministry yesterday put its foot down to say that nothing was going to change in the way students are to be disciplined.
The last circular issued on “allowable” punishments, other than the ones specified in the Education Regulations, is the circular No. 8/1983, which was issued in 1983.
Education director-general Datuk Dr Amin Senin told the New Straits Times that the circular remained relevant to this day and no new circular would be issued.
“The circular clearly states that any physical punishments that may cause insult or embarrassment to pupils are not allowed, except caning for male students, found in the professional circular No. 7/2003.”
The ministry, he said, had also specified forms of punishment through various circulars from time to time, stressing that hitting students using the hands was prohibited as it could lead to unwanted implications and even legal action.
In short, Amin urged all quar- ters to continue adhering to the procedures in practice, denying any need for a new or updated version.
NUTP in an immediate reaction said that would leave teachers with the arduous task of blindly disciplining students who commit offences, which were “unheard of ” back then when the previous circulars were drawn up.
They referred to the recent case of Cikgu Azizan Manap, 44, who was charged on Oct 31 under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which deals with punishment for voluntarily causing hurt.
He was eventually discharged from the alleged offence of having assaulted an 11-year-old pupil at a school assembly area on April 6 for allegedly sniffing glue, skipping school and bullying.
Its secretary-general, Harry Tan Huat Hock, said the list of “no-go” punishments must be revisited as teachers were dealing with disciplinary problems that were on a whole different level compared with years ago.
Failure to rein in students with disciplinary measures, he cautioned, would ring true the story of P. Ramlee’s classic Anakku Sazali.
The classic movie of 1956 tells the story of Hassan who treats his son Sazali with uninhibited love and little disciplining, resulting in him growing up to be a most-wanted bandit.
Saying that the 1983 circular was now irrelevant, they had on Wednesday called for a proper sit-down to discuss the matter and asked that the ministry at least facilitated the “formal
of disciplinary teachers so that they were given the authority to mete out disciplinary punishment.
“To be fair, the ministry has been constantly giving out directives that are of national interest.
“However, there are some areas that have been taken for granted.
“For example, if a student does not hand in his homework, what can a teacher do?
“How do we discipline repeat offenders (if there is no guideline on how to do so)?”
Tan said many teachers feared that their every move could be “against the law” when their intention was for the good of their students.
“The circulars previously issued by the ministry need to cover more offenses as society has progressed to the point that even glue has become a substitute for drugs,” he added.
“We need professional and legal advice on what we can and cannot do.
“Following the issue of Cikgu Azizan, I am confident the ministry will look at the matter more holistically as we march into 2018,” he told the NST.
The Cikgu Azizan case ignited a scathing discussion, especially among teachers, questioning where the line was drawn between methods of punishments allowed by the ministry and what was necessary for the sake of disciplining problematic students.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan offered teachers a little hope, telling the NST the ministry would consider listing “new offences” in its Education Regulations.
“NUTP has a point... teachers are facing new challenges in an environment that is vastly different from the past.
“The ministry is aware of their concerns and welcomes any suggestion that would improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools, especially the all-important issue of students’ discipline.”