"He's Not Ready For School" — Kindergarten Teacher Probed For Rejecting Crying 5-Year-Old

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The mother, on 25 March, had expressed her frustration in a Facebook post, which has garnered over 14,000 shares and 7,200 comments.

In the incident, the 50-year-old teacher reportedly told her that her son's frequent crying in his first few days of class was causing the teacher stress and disrupting her lessons with the other students.

"It has only been four hours since my son went to school and his teacher is already WhatsApping me this," she said in reference to a screenshot of her conversation with the educator. 

"Is it not normal for five-year-old children to cry at school?" the woman vented.

"A five-year-old child apparently doesn't have the awareness to learn, it's so sad that the teacher feels this way about my son."

The teacher said the woman should have started teaching her child at three or four years old. But now, at the age of five, her son "is still not ready for school", according to the teacher.

The upset mother added that it's not that she does not teach her son anything at home, perhaps it's just her way of teaching that is different.

"I'm not a teacher [...] my son can't read as well as other five-year-olds, does this mean he's not fit to attend this kindergarten?"

As soon as she received the text, she immediately picked up her son and left. She felt too distraught to discuss anything with the teacher at the time.

She wrote in another Facebook post that it was only five days since her son started school, so he was not familiar to the new environment, on top of being around people he did not know.

Their family also cannot afford to enrol her child in a private school.

"[Should he] stop going to school? What about his education and communication if he doesn't start now? When he turns six or seven years old, starting school will be just the same," she said.

The woman added that she was worried of taking any action because it might backfire since it would "humiliate government servants".

She also thanked Malaysians for all the support and kind words she received. She added that her son will be taking a break from school for now so that he can forget about the incident.

The ministry said it took the mother's complaint seriously and that any problems regarding students should be discussed properly, reported Bernama.

Its minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique said, "As teachers, they have to know what their responsibilities are and be ethical no matter the situation."

Meanwhile, the teacher in question has been temporarily placed at the Hulu Langat District Unity Office until the probe into the incident is completed.

At the same time, the ministry is conducting a nationwide survey to determine whether Perpaduan Kindergarten teachers are under pressure and identify the cause of the matter to ensure that early childhood education at all Perpaduan Kindergartens are done in a conducive environment.