Standard 5 Student Undergoes Knee Surgery After Teacher Punishes Him To Do Squats
The student was allegedly punished for missing school even though he had been sick.
By May Vin Ang — 08 Feb 2023, 09:34 AM
An 11-year-old from Tanah Merah, Kelantan, had to go undergo knee surgery after a teacher forced him to do squats as a punishment at school
The boy's mother, who only wished to be known as Azlina, told New Straits Times about the incident as it has left her son traumatised and afraid to return to school.
Azlina said the incident occurred in January after her son was sick and missed school.
She said she had informed his teachers of his absence due to diarrhoea on WhatsApp.
"However, my son and several other students were summoned the next day for missing school. They were ordered to do ketuk ketampi (squats) 30 times as a form of punishment," she recounted.
Due to a prior knee injury, the mother said her son complained of pain and told the teacher that he was unable to complete the punishment
According to Azlina, her son, who is the third of four children, had sustained a fracture at his knee after falling down while playing football three months ago.
She explained that a scan at a private clinic showed a fracture and the doctor had advised the Standard Five student not to do any strenuous physical activity.
"He also missed many classes due to his injury. I had also updated his teachers on his condition," she said.
However, on the day of the incident, Azlina said the teacher ignored her son's claims and instead, punched the boy in the chest and accused him of lying.
On the same day, Azlina said her father went to pick her son up from school because he was in so much pain
The grandfather even had to carry his grandson to his motorcycle because the boy could not walk.
"Later that night, he complained of more pain and I wanted to bring him to the hospital. However, the school authorities asked me to postpone the visit as he had an exam coming up," the mother said.
"Soon after, a representative from the school came to apologise and admit that they had been too rough with him. They also handed over a sum of money as a contribution."
Eventually, on 22 January, Azlina brought her son to Tanah Merah Hospital, where he was referred to Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Bharu to undergo surgery for his knee.
Although the incident has left her son traumatised, Azlina said she does not wish to make the issue bigger than it is
However, she admitted that she was disappointed hearing rumours alleging that the school was not to blame for the incident.
She added that the teacher also did not face any serious repercussions, but was only transferred to another primary school in the district.
The mother said she would also be lodging a police report on the incident to safeguard her family's interest.
