History teacher picks on Indian students - Singapore's Online Community

***StarDust*** · 06-08-2008, 07:03 AM

History teacher picks on Indian students
She makes racial slurs against community too, Selangor students allege in police reports
August 06, 2008

PARENTS of ethnic Indian students at a school in Selangor are up in arms.

Police reports filed by two students - one in Sec 4 and another in Sec 5 - allege that a female teacher had singled out and insulted Indian students.

Some of the alleged racial slurs included telling the students that their community was stupid and prone to thievery.

Some 500 parents and other members of the Indian community turned up yesterday at SMK Telok Panglima Garang to protest and deliver copies of the police reports, reported The Star newspaper.

As the headmaster was on leave, some teachers accepted the reports.

According to the reports, the history teacher had allegedly called Indian students in a Sec 4 and a Sec 5 class derogatory names.

The teacher was accused of making the remarks to the classes on 17 and 22 Jul.

She had also allegedly beaten some Indian students.

The Sec 4 student claimed in his report that the teacher had written a racial slur on the class board and lost her cool when Indian students in the class told her that they did not like being called names.

Coalition of Malaysian Indian NGOs secretary Gunaraj George, who was among those who handed over the police reports, said that exposure to such abuse would only breed hatred and racial polarisation in schools.

'No one in his or her right frame of mind would have said these things. Given this, the best option would be for the teacher to be assigned a desk job and not be allowed to be near youngsters anymore,' he said.

Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong said the teacher may be sacked if the allegations were true.

The allegations were serious as no one was allowed to insult others, especially in a school environment, said Dr Wee.

He added that the ministry was awaiting an official report before taking action.

NEWS SPREADS ONLINE
Meanwhile, news of the incident has already made the rounds on the Internet with several blog postings.

One blogger allege that incidents like this happen because of Malaysia's communal politics.

The blogger wrote: 'I really and truly believe that communal politics is sustaining this type of racism and racial stereotyping because communal politics prevents Malaysians from different ethnic groups from interacting at a real and effective level.'

The blogger also took a swipe at Malaysia's education system.

'It also says a lot about the rotten education system in Malaysia, particularly the manner in which teachers are trained... Education standards are declining to alarming rates as passing grades are lowered to enable more mediocre students to pass,' the blogger wrote.

Source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...72518,00.html?

**rayn** · 06-08-2008, 10:00 AM

oh my.. i wonder what actually happened.

**uyen** · 06-08-2008, 12:38 PM

Wat a lousy teacher.

**thehookbox** · 06-08-2008, 12:41 PM

wat a teacher >.< should be fired right away!!

**xiaolinn** · 06-08-2008, 01:04 PM

she should be fired o.O She should know better the consequences of making insulting remarks to other races . - - '

**nimbus** · 06-08-2008, 01:10 PM

maybe should hear the teacher's side of the story.

**Voodoo Vince** · 06-08-2008, 09:07 PM

Teacher to be transferred
Wed, Aug 06, 2008
The Star

BANTING: A secondary school teacher accused of hurling racial slurs against her Indian students recently is on leave prior to her transfer on Monday.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator T. Murugiah, who visited SMK Telok Panglima Garang yesterday, said the teacher regretted the incident and had apologised to the students.

"She also said that she did not expect things to become so serious and has agreed to be transferred to another school," added Murugiah who was accompanied by officers from the Education Ministry and the Prime Minister's Department's Public Complaints Bureau.

Two students lodged police reports against the female history teacher last Friday alleging that she had made derogatory remarks about Indian students and called them unflattering names.

According to Murugiah, recommendations would also be made to the Education Ministry to institute disciplinary action against her.

He said the issue was now considered closed and advised members of the Indian community as well as parents of the affected students to accept the teacher's apology.

However, relatives of the affected students as well as the members of the Telok Panglima Garang Indian community refused to regard the matter as closed.

"She must make a public apology as she insulted all Indians and be transferred to a desk job and not allowed to teach anymore," said the group's spokesman S. Muthamil Selvan.

Coalition of Malaysian Indian NGOs secretary Gunaraj George concurred and said his organisation was preparing a memorandum on the matter to be presented to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Educati...806-80882.html

shypineapple · 06-08-2008, 09:17 PM

ha......from the same country. LOL -.-

**ireneyksoh** · 06-08-2008, 10:04 PM

she ought to be sack

**sotongwenn** · 06-08-2008, 10:24 PM

yeah, she should be just transfer to desk job or sack. no use transferring to another school, she still might insult those indian students over the other school. that'll only make the teacher thought she could just transfer to another school whenever she done something wrong (which maybe she thought was right)

JessicaSilkwood · 07-08-2008, 04:12 AM

.....see skin colour then scold..lmao

**CaRe** · 14-08-2008, 06:44 PM

Students sue teacher for racism

Malaysia's top ethnic Indian politician, Samy Vellu (left), president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, is also calling for sterner disciplinary action against the teacher.
-- JOHN HENG

KUALA LUMPUR - THREE ethnic Indian teenagers plan to sue their Malaysian schoolteacher for defamation after she taunted them with racial insults in a case that has outraged the minority community, a lawyer said on Thursday.

The ethnic Malay female history teacher has been transferred out of her school after she reportedly acknowledged making racial remarks such as calling Indians 'black monkeys' and accusing them of involvement in thuggery and theft.

The case has bolstered complaints by Malaysia's minorities that racism by the majority Malay population is entrenched and institutionalised.

Some 500 ethnic Indians protested outside the school in central Selangor state last week after the teenage students filed a police complaint against her. Police said she would not be charged because she had not committed a criminal offense.

Three of the students plan to sue the teacher later this month because 'she made false allegations that go right to the roots of their origins', said their lawyer, S.N. Pathmanabhan.

They will decide what kind of compensation they want later.

The students will also write to the government to demand the teacher be fired, he said.

It is the latest incident causing racial friction in a country that takes pride in its multiethnic peace and stability. Malay Muslims comprise about 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people.

Ethnic Chinese constitute a quarter of the population, while Indians make up less than 10 per cent.

Malaysia's top ethnic Indian politician, Samy Vellu, president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, is also calling for sterner disciplinary action against the teacher.

'This sort of people will give the government ... a bad name and may reduce the support of the Indian community', Mr Samy said in a statement on Wednesday.

Minority Indians largely voted against the government in March general elections amid rising complaints that the Malay-dominated ruling coalition deprives them of economic and educational opportunities and promotes religious discrimination. -- AP

**Beanman** · 14-08-2008, 06:57 PM

the teacher shld be sacked.racist teacher