PARENT groups have renewed calls for special laws to punish errant parents whose children are involved in crimes in light of a controversial court case against a disciplinary teacher in Negri Sembilan.   

Such laws will hold parents responsible for their children’s upbringing given that they are legal guardians of these minors and the actions of their charges impact on society, the groups said.  

“There needs to be laws which punish parents for not doing their jobs and for shirking their responsibilities,” said Parent-Teacher Action Group for Education chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim.

Another group, the Malaysian Parent Solidarity Forum (Mampim) echoed this, saying that parents who did not bring up their children properly risked turning them into juvenile delinquents.

“We can’t just look at the interests of any one individual or pupil,” said Mampim president Aziz Ujang.

“We have to look at the implications of his actions as it could lead to bigger social problems,” Aziz told The Malaysian Insight.

Their comments come on the heels of a criminal charge against teacher Azizan Manap, who is accused of slapping a standard five pupil of SK Taman Semarak in Nilai.

Azizan is to stand trial under Section 323 of the Penal Code for causing hurt the pupil. If found guilty, he faces a one-year jail term, a RM2,000 fine or both.

Azizan had allegedly slapped the boy after the latter was repeatedly caught sniffing glue, fighting, skipping class and bullying others. 

The case has created an uproar among teachers and civil servants with 300 of them planning to rally outside the Seremban magistrates’ court where Azizan is being tried today.

Azizan’s case has also reignited debate over corporal punishment in schools, given that he was a senior assistant in charge of stamping out the school’s persistent disciplinary problems.  

Noor Azimah of PAGE does not agree with corporal punishment, saying that there are other methods of disciplining wayward kids.  

“Did Cikgu Azizan follow the standard operating procedure when it comes to disciplining kids? Was slapping the kid a part of the SOP or was Cikgu Azizan unable to control his emotions? Teachers should also suffer the consequences of their actions.”

Mampim’s Aziz, however, differed with Azimah saying that corporal punishment was necessary at reigning in problematic pupils.

“Teachers should not be prevented from hitting pupils. However, the punishments should be proportionate and cannot be driven by emotions. This is so that children are not hurt.”

Aziz also felt that children with disciplinary problems should not be automatically expelled from school.

“There should be better options. They could be sent to training or rehabilitation centres or be put in sports programmes or uniform bodies.”

A teachers’ group, the Malaysian Islamic Teachers Association (iGuru), said disgruntled parents should work things out with their children’s teachers instead dragging the educators to court.

Its president, Mohd Azizee Hasan, said cases like Cikgu Azizan would only negatively impact on parents, teachers and pupils. – December 19, 2017.