THERE is no fool-proof measure to prevent pre-school teachers from getting angry and harming the children in their charge, industry players said.

However, they said there are also a number of “safety valves” for teachers “to let off steam”.

Malaysian Kindergarten Teachers Association national president Sally Ng said even though it’s mandatory for every prospective kindergarten teacher to undergo an assessment when applying for their teacher’s permit, incidents of teachers hurting pre-schoolers still happen.

Ng told The Malaysian Insight that some could go to work carrying with them the stress of home.

She said there have been cases where teachers who have problems with their children at home have carried that stress into the classroom.

That is despite constant reminders that violence against the children is not permitted under any circumstances, she said.

Ng said teachers, in a fit of anger, could lose control and hurt a child.

The subject came to the fore in recent weeks when two incidents were reported.

The incidents left parents both worried and angry, asking what measures were in place to stop teachers from taking out their anger on children.

On August 12, a female teacher from Taiping, Perak, admitted on Facebook to hurting one of her pupils and apologised publicly to the parents, family and kindergarten.

She said she had smacked the girl two days earlier, causing bruising to the child’s back and shoulder.

The teacher said she lost her temper after the girl repeatedly failed to do her work correctly.

That teacher has since quit her job and had vowed never to teach in any kindergarten ever again.

In the second incident on August 15, a former teacher uploaded a video to her Facebook page that showed pre-schoolers were being abused and forced to eat chillies in a kindergarten in Kuala Lumpur.

The teacher is now assisting police with their enquiries.

Ng said teachers have always been advised that if a child had become unruly and out of control, it is best they send the child to the principal or headteacher.

“When a teacher feels he or she is about to explode, it’s best just to walk out of the classroom and find another member of staff to take over.”

She said if another teacher sees a colleague losing their temper, they have to step in and intervene immediately.

“Every teacher has a responsibility to stop it on the spot to avert any harm to the child.”

Ministry must do more

Lydia Looi, president of the Perak Kindergarten Teachers Association, said every kindergarten should have a programme for teachers to express their emotions caused by the pressure of work and how best to handle them.

“In such a programme, teachers could be asked to talk about the problems they face at work. A teacher, for example, might raise the problem she or he has with a particular child.

“They could put their heads together to discuss the problem and find ways to solve it.

“Hitting children or scolding them does not solve the problem.”

Looi said every child is different and behaves differently too.

“Sometimes they might find a child slow at finishing their food. Maybe it’s because they are in a different environment.

“Eating in the kindergarten might not be like eating at home and they are trying to adapt.

“Supervisors and other teachers therefore need to be on the lookout for colleagues who could be showing signs of impatience.

“They need to help out one another.”

Looi said some teachers struggle to keep control because they have set their own standard that they are having difficulty achieving.

“I understand that some kindergartens assess their teachers every year, as in how they treat people and teach their classes.”

However, Looi said such assessments are “never the most effective method” to prevent teachers from losing control.

She said the best solution was improved staff communication.

To make matters worse, Looi said the Ministry of Education pays scant attention to this problem.

Kedah and Perlis Kindergarten Teachers Association president Woon Pek Poon said teachers faced less stress if class sizes are small and there are enough teachers.

“It would be easier for them to control the situation, but it’s not that a classroom with many students is necessarily a problem. It depends on the teacher’s experience and how well he or she can handle it.”

Woon said principals and supervisors need to be more aware of the emotional state of their staff.

“Teachers will have emotions and every pre-schooler is still a baby.” – September 1, 2022.