Student Forced To Study On The Floor For Failing To Pay School Fees
The family had fallen three months behind on payments due to financial difficulties.
By Sukhbir Cheema — 13 Jan 2025, 03:41 PM
A Year Four pupil from Indonesia recently faced humiliation when a teacher punished the student for unpaid school fees by forcing the child to sit on the classroom floor
The video of the student, from Abdi Sukma School in Medan, is sparking debate online in Indonesia.
According to Indonesia's online news portal Tribun Tangerang, the pupil's family had fallen three months behind on payments.
The pupil's mother, Kamelia, 38, voiced her outrage, describing the treatment as dehumanising.
"Teachers are highly educated individuals. At the very least, they should not treat my child like an animal," she lamented.
Kamelia revealed that her family has been struggling financially, relying solely on her husband's income as a construction worker
She had intended to pay the overdue fees by selling a mobile phone but was too late.
Her child, embarrassed by the public punishment, expressed reluctance to return to school.
"I wanted to settle the fees last week," Kamelia explained, "but the damage was already done."
Juli Sari, the school's headteacher, claimed she was unaware of the teacher's actions and has since apologised to the family
While the apology is a step towards reconciliation, the incident underscores the challenges faced by many low-income Indonesian families in accessing education without stigma.
The incident highlights broader issues within the Indonesian education system, where the inability to pay fees can lead to emotional harm for children, further compounding the difficulties they already endure.
