Former student sues teacher for failing to teach English

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 30 Oct 2018 2:34PM · 7 Comments

A Sabah girl is suing her Form 4 English teacher and the Education Ministry, among others, over the teacher's failure to teach the subject. She says the teacher had failed to turn up for lessons numerous times. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, October 30, 2018.

A FORMER student of a secondary school in Kota Belud, Sabah, is suing her English teacher for not teaching the subject and causing her to fail it in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination, the Daily Express reports.

In what is the first such case in the state, Siti Nafirah Siman, 19, said she was denied by the teacher her right to take lessons.

The teacher, Jainal Jamrin, is named as the first defendant.

The other defendants are Taun Gusi Secondary School principal Suid Hanafi, the Kota Belud district Education officer, state Education director, director-general of the Education Department, Education Ministry and federal government.

Jainal was the assigned English teacher for Siti Nafirah’s Form Four class in 2015.

In her statement of claim, Siti Nafirah said Jainal had failed to turn up for lessons numerous times.

The principal, district Education officer, state Education director and director-general of the Education Department were all notified of the problem, she said.

The department’s top officers had paid a visit to the school and met the principal, but did not address the issue of Jainal’s absenteeism.

State Education director Maimunah Suhaibul, when contacted today, did not comment on the suit. – October 30, 2018.

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • Wow this is really interesting indeed, ok we are hearing from one student and one side of the story to be fair to all parties concern. Let's wait for MOE response and you better not scripted it and see if more students are coming forward with the similar claims.

    Posted 5 years ago by Teruna Kelana · Reply

  • I totally support the student if what she said is true.

    Posted 5 years ago by Adrian Tan · Reply

  • A case of teacher ponteng class.. just because it is located in a rural district the teacher didnt expect to be caught.
    When investigated and found to be true, the teacher should be fired, and the
    education ministry officials, headmaster should be charged with dereliction of duties, and should be suspended, demoted & transferred out.

    Posted 5 years ago by TTs Take · Reply

  • Chronic absenteeism is a lot more common that you think. However, it is just a symptom of a widespread systemic problem in civil service, where incompetence is tolerated. This occurs in just about any department, where a few dead weights sit around doing nothing (or just don't turn up at all), and their colleagues will need to cover for them. However, when the dead weight is a teacher in school, other teachers cannot cover for them, and the result is students not getting their proper education. The reaction should not be asking for the sacking of such teachers, but for those higher up, for they are the ones perpetuating this practice. And don't assume that this only happens in rural schools. My child is in an advanced (RK) class, in an urban secondary school, a "preferred" one for that matter. The teacher for one of the subjects was the headmaster. He turned up twice in the whole year.

    Posted 5 years ago by Burrd Lim · Reply

  • If reality is anywhere near to her allegations, then I say bravo to Siti, for standing up for her rights, and shame on those who failed her.

    Posted 5 years ago by Burrd Lim · Reply

  • ...nah! baru tahu .....

    Posted 5 years ago by Sabah One · Reply

  • What a good education system the British gave us when they left Malaysia! Mangled, downgraded & almost destroyed by lousy Umno-BN. How much have we lost, including (especially) the Malays? SAD..

    Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply