Parents should discuss disciplinary matters involving their children with the school before calling in the police, Malaysia’s deputy home minister has said.
Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said that if parents continue to resort to such action, it will give rise to more disciplinary problems in schools, because teachers will not be bothered to confront students who break the rules.
“Some of these reports and legal letters to teachers or the schools are not even about the child being caned but over scoldings, he said.
“To be fair, these cases can be resolved through negotiations and do not normally require the intervention of third parties such as police and lawyers.”
Nur Jazlan said that today’s parents are better educated and informed and “should be wiser to overcome the problems through negotiations and without using third parties like lawyers or police to solve their child’s problems”.
He added that the police were duty-bound to investigate all incidents once a complaint is filed with them.
“Once a report is lodged, the police are tasked to investigate the report made and this can be seen as a waste of time if the issue can be earlier resolved without involving police investigations,” he said.
Malaysia’s National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) supports Nur Jazlan’s view.
“For the record, the NUTP does not condone the abuse of school children. However, it is important, as it is also our policy, to have the parents resolve issues regarding their child amicably with school authorities, such as their counsellor,” NUTP secretary-general, Harry Tan, told the Sun Daily.
“I would also urge them to attend the Parent-Teacher Association meetings frequently. Also, it is important to note some cases can be solved at the school level.”