Mum Claims JB School Made Her 7-Year-Old Stand Under Scorching Sun For Being 10 Mins Late
"Who will take responsibility if my child collapses?" the mother of the boy asked in a TikTok video.
By Sadho Ram — 11 May 2023, 03:26 PM
A mother in Johor Bahru has claimed that her seven-year-old son was made to stand under the scorching sun for coming late to school
In a 13-second clip posted on her TikTok account @DvaFella yesterday, 10 May, the mother expressed her displeasure with the actions of a religious school teacher for exposing her son to the hot sun.
The mother, in a lengthy caption under the clip, stated that despite the Ministry of Health (MOH) requesting schools to practise caution given the heatwave in the country, the ustazah decided to punish her son for arriving 10 minutes late by making him stand under the scorching sun.
"My child was isolated from the students at the assembly and told to stand underneath the scorching sun at 2pm, whilst the ustazah was standing under the shade," she wrote in the caption of the viral clip.
She also questioned the wisdom behind the punishment, given the fact that there have been multiple deaths from the heatwave
"It breaks my heart to see my son punished like this; with his schoolbag, under the scorching heat. He was humiliated, ostracised, and wasn't allowed to join the assembly line for being 10 minutes late," she said.
The mother also highlighted the fact that classes had not even started and the classrooms were all empty, as the students were all still in the assembly when her son arrived at the school.
"Even if they wanted to punish my child, the teacher could have asked him to stand in the shade instead. Such stupid thinking the ustazah has... doesn't she or the school have common sense?" she asked.
"There are many cases of death due to heatstroke. Who will take responsibility if my child collapses? You will wash your hands clean and the parents will have to face the consequences," she added.
According to the mother, her son was not late on purpose.
"We were late for a reason. I am not a stupid mother that doesn't know the school rules. Just because he was going to be 10 minutes late, doesn't mean I'm not going to let him miss school," she said.
She also noted that the reason she did not intervene is because she didn't want to disturb the assembly.
Meanwhile, the Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ) has taken note of the incident and has said that it will investigate the mother's claim
State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairperson Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said that MAINJ's Islamic education department and the District Islamic Education Office have been directed to make a report.
"We are aware of the incident and we have asked these departments to investigate and prepare a complete report on it. The investigation will be conducted in detail," he told New Straits Times today, 11 May.
