TEACHERS who expressed relief that colleague Azizan Manap will no longer face trial for allegedly causing hurt to a pupil said his case highlights the difficulties in educating youths today.

Rashidah Mohd Abd Rahman, who has been teaching for 17 years, said she was still concerned even though Azizan’s case had been withdrawn.

“These kinds of matters affect a teacher’s emotions and rights. A teacher’s rights are needed when they are guiding (students). They have to be firm, but it is being misinterpreted by parents.

“I think the challenges in educating youths today are not like those in the past,” she said outside the Seremban magistrate’s court, where Azizan was granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal this morning.

The 44-year-old senior assistant in charge of pupil affairs at SK Taman Semarak, Nilai, was to have been tried under Section 323 of the Penal Code for causing hurt to a Standard Five pupil caught for sniffing glue, fighting and bullying.

Another teacher, Azizah Sudin, said teachers’ actions were sometimes misunderstood by parents.

Had the court not withdrawn the case again Azizan, she said, it would have impacted teachers and discouraged them.

“Thankfully, victory was on the teacher’s side. We never intend to harm students.

“We were hurt (when the issue was raised) because teachers want to educate, but we are blamed and burdened. (We) are afraid to take action. (Our) task to educate would have been limited,” said the 46-year-old.

Some 300 teachers gathered at the courthouse early this morning in a show of solidarity.

After Azizan emerged, relieved at the magistrate’s decision, he said he had forgiven the pupil and his family, and prayed for their well-being.

A teacher from Selangor, who wanted to be known only as Suzy, said Azizan’s reaction was typical of many teachers who had to exercise patience and forgiveness when dealing with difficult students.

“We forgive any wrongdoings because one day, they will remember (what they have done).

“A student once spat on me. The parents came to school (to see me). My intention is to teach, so I forgave the student,” said Suzy, who has taught for 15 years.

Ida, another teacher who travelled from Selangor, said Azizan did the right thing by disciplining the pupil, whose future might have been ruined if his behaviour was ignored.

“We teach them (students) as if they are our kids. We would be sad if they failed because we were given the responsibility to educate them.

“Most teachers would forgive students who were rude to them. They would forgive even if they were insulted.

“We still pray for their success even if they don’t apologise to us in person,” said Ida, who has 20 years of teaching experience.

According to the charge sheet, Azizan was accused of slapping the pupil on the left cheek about 7am on April 6.

If he had been found guilty, he would have faced a one-year jail term, a RM2,000 fine or both, in addition to losing his job.

Azizan, who was first charged on October 31, drew the public’s attention after the National Union of Teaching Profession Malaysia, on Friday, urged teachers to attend today’s trial in a show of solidarity.

Their presence made it one of the rare occasions teachers, who are government employees, have protested in support of a colleague whom they say was only carrying out his duties to discipline a pupil. – December 19, 2017.