The Star Online. News. Nation. Wednesday July 25, 2007
SUNGAI PETANI: A housewife has alleged that a teacher held her seven-year-old daughter by the neck and caned her on her legs, stomach, hands and back.
Housewife T. Rukumani, 42, claimed the teacher also slapped K. Shamni on her face and knocked her head with her knuckle during a Bahasa Malaysia class in SRJK (T) Kalaimagal in Permatang Gedong near here on Tuesday. She claimed the daughter was punished in front of the other pupils because she had not read loud enough an essay that was written on the blackboard.
Shamni returned home from school at 6.45pm and related the incident to her mother.
Shamni’s father K. Kasiraja later took her to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital where she has been admitted. A police report was lodged at the hospital.
Rukumani claimed the teacher stopped caning her daughter when another teacher passed by and stopped her.
“This teacher took my daughter to the staff room and applied ointment on her hands and body.
The teacher also told my daughter not to inform us of the caning,” said Rukumani when met at Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital on Tuesday night.
School authorities declined to comment on the matter.
State Education Director Misrah Ibrahim when contacted said he not aware of the incident but would look into the matter.
Monday, 30 July 2007
2007 07: DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOL: What is a teacher to do?
NST Online. Letters. 24/7/07
By : M.S. DHALIWAL, Kajang
AT first, it was the football-team bashing time. Now, it seems that the attention has been diverted to the teachers.
First, it was the case of a student who uttered an expletive and a teacher who allegedly punched her. Next, it was the case involving students who failed to hand in their homework. Finally, the case involving 200 schoolgirls in a pond and a warden who took centre stage.
As a teacher myself, it is disheartening to read reports portraying teachers in a bad light. No doubt, teachers have to follow certain guidelines in curtailing discipline problems but we must remember teachers are human beings, too. As parents, you have to follow a certain procedure in disciplining your child. A parent may have to deal with three or four children, but a teacher has to discipline 30 to 40 of them.
A 13-year-old girl utters a curse word in the presence of the others. What would you do? You may not punch her on the face, but believe me, the last thing that you would do is open the procedure book for guidance. I am not condoning what the teacher did but had any of us been in that situation, we, too, would be facing suspension.
During my school days, being slapped or caned by the headmaster or headmistress was something shameful, not only for the student but the parents as well. I remember parents dragging their children to the headmaster’s office to apologise for the child’s misdeeds and inflicting further punishment on their child themselves.
Nowadays, we still have parents dragging their children to the headmaster’s office but with a posse of reporters and photographers. Instead of apologising, they demand apologies. Instead of shame, they invite publicity.
Before I attempt to "defend" the Sibu incident, allow me to share an incident that took place in my school. Just last week, I stumbled upon a few boys who were covered from head to toe with flour. The class was a mess with flour on the tables, chairs and the floor.
It was quite obvious that there had been a "flour fight". However, when I demanded an explanation, no one admitted starting the fight or even bringing flour to school.
Even the threat of calling their parents was futile. Finally, when I waved my cane, the students started volunteering names and details of the "flour fight".
The warden in Sibu was not as lucky as I was. She might have threatened to dip them in the pond and probably had to do it when all the students kept mum.
I am not saying what the teachers above did is right or wrong. I am just saying that suspending or putting these teachers in a bad light is not the right thing to do.
In a way, I salute these teachers for trying to make a change. Obviously, it would have been easier to just ignore the problem.
There are many teachers out there who opt to play it safe. They just walk into the class, deliver their lesson and walk out again, ignoring the students who curse, who do not do their homework and those who do not pay attention.
I am from the old school. I believe in instilling discipline. My students dare not curse me, they will finish their homework and they will admit if they are wrong. However, after reading about the cases mentioned, maybe I, too, should play it safe.
By : M.S. DHALIWAL, Kajang
AT first, it was the football-team bashing time. Now, it seems that the attention has been diverted to the teachers.
First, it was the case of a student who uttered an expletive and a teacher who allegedly punched her. Next, it was the case involving students who failed to hand in their homework. Finally, the case involving 200 schoolgirls in a pond and a warden who took centre stage.
As a teacher myself, it is disheartening to read reports portraying teachers in a bad light. No doubt, teachers have to follow certain guidelines in curtailing discipline problems but we must remember teachers are human beings, too. As parents, you have to follow a certain procedure in disciplining your child. A parent may have to deal with three or four children, but a teacher has to discipline 30 to 40 of them.
A 13-year-old girl utters a curse word in the presence of the others. What would you do? You may not punch her on the face, but believe me, the last thing that you would do is open the procedure book for guidance. I am not condoning what the teacher did but had any of us been in that situation, we, too, would be facing suspension.
During my school days, being slapped or caned by the headmaster or headmistress was something shameful, not only for the student but the parents as well. I remember parents dragging their children to the headmaster’s office to apologise for the child’s misdeeds and inflicting further punishment on their child themselves.
Nowadays, we still have parents dragging their children to the headmaster’s office but with a posse of reporters and photographers. Instead of apologising, they demand apologies. Instead of shame, they invite publicity.
Before I attempt to "defend" the Sibu incident, allow me to share an incident that took place in my school. Just last week, I stumbled upon a few boys who were covered from head to toe with flour. The class was a mess with flour on the tables, chairs and the floor.
It was quite obvious that there had been a "flour fight". However, when I demanded an explanation, no one admitted starting the fight or even bringing flour to school.
Even the threat of calling their parents was futile. Finally, when I waved my cane, the students started volunteering names and details of the "flour fight".
The warden in Sibu was not as lucky as I was. She might have threatened to dip them in the pond and probably had to do it when all the students kept mum.
I am not saying what the teachers above did is right or wrong. I am just saying that suspending or putting these teachers in a bad light is not the right thing to do.
In a way, I salute these teachers for trying to make a change. Obviously, it would have been easier to just ignore the problem.
There are many teachers out there who opt to play it safe. They just walk into the class, deliver their lesson and walk out again, ignoring the students who curse, who do not do their homework and those who do not pay attention.
I am from the old school. I believe in instilling discipline. My students dare not curse me, they will finish their homework and they will admit if they are wrong. However, after reading about the cases mentioned, maybe I, too, should play it safe.
2007 07: Teenager at clinic robbed and raped
NST online. Local News. 24/7/07
IPOH: She was sick and went to a clinic at 2am. There, she was kidnapped by two pa- rang-wielding men who took her on a terror ride and then raped her.
The teenager was later abandoned in Tanjung Malim, about 140km away.
City police chief ACP Jalaludin Ibrahim said the girl had gone to the clinic in Ipoh Garden on Saturday with a friend.
While waiting to be treated, two men entered the clinic and held up the two friends and a nurse, robbing the clinic of RM1,900 and the women of two handphones.
"The men then grabbed the victim and pushed her into a BMW 3 series car parked outside the clinic.
"The girl was taken on a terror ride before being raped. She was abandoned at 6.30am in Tanjung Malim," said Jala- ludin.
She later sought help from passers-by and lodged a report. She was sent to the Tanjung Malim Hospital for a medical examination.
Jalaludin yesterday released the photofits of two men in their 20s whom they believe can assist in investigations.
In another case, police detained a school employee in connection with the rape of a Form One student in a guard room at a Grik school on July 11.
District police chief Supt Mahad Nor Abdullah said the man had gone to the school hostel and tricked the girl into accompanying him by telling her that her parents had come to see her.
When she went to the gate, he grabbed her and dragged her into the guard room where he assaulted her until she passed out.
Mahad said when the victim regained consciousness after a while, she felt pain in her private parts. She was warned by the suspect not to relate the incident to anyone.
"The victim kept quiet until her sister-in-law noticed that she had become sullen and frequently lost her temper. When questioned, she revealed everything.
"The girl later lodged a report and was sent to the Ipoh Hospital for a medical examination.
IPOH: She was sick and went to a clinic at 2am. There, she was kidnapped by two pa- rang-wielding men who took her on a terror ride and then raped her.
The teenager was later abandoned in Tanjung Malim, about 140km away.
City police chief ACP Jalaludin Ibrahim said the girl had gone to the clinic in Ipoh Garden on Saturday with a friend.
While waiting to be treated, two men entered the clinic and held up the two friends and a nurse, robbing the clinic of RM1,900 and the women of two handphones.
"The men then grabbed the victim and pushed her into a BMW 3 series car parked outside the clinic.
"The girl was taken on a terror ride before being raped. She was abandoned at 6.30am in Tanjung Malim," said Jala- ludin.
She later sought help from passers-by and lodged a report. She was sent to the Tanjung Malim Hospital for a medical examination.
Jalaludin yesterday released the photofits of two men in their 20s whom they believe can assist in investigations.
In another case, police detained a school employee in connection with the rape of a Form One student in a guard room at a Grik school on July 11.
District police chief Supt Mahad Nor Abdullah said the man had gone to the school hostel and tricked the girl into accompanying him by telling her that her parents had come to see her.
When she went to the gate, he grabbed her and dragged her into the guard room where he assaulted her until she passed out.
Mahad said when the victim regained consciousness after a while, she felt pain in her private parts. She was warned by the suspect not to relate the incident to anyone.
"The victim kept quiet until her sister-in-law noticed that she had become sullen and frequently lost her temper. When questioned, she revealed everything.
"The girl later lodged a report and was sent to the Ipoh Hospital for a medical examination.
2007 07: Child beggars targeting Arab tourists
The Star Online. News. Nation. Tuesday July 24, 2007
HARIAN Metro reported that child beggars in Kuala Lumpur were picking up the Arabic language in a move to get more sympathy from tourists from the Middle East.
Recent checks around the city by the daily found child beggars preferring foreigners as prey, as their “donations” were often bigger compared to locals, who usually looked the other way.
These children would brave the scorching heat of the city in the afternoons, waiting outside restaurants popular with Arab tourists.
The child beggars are reported to be between six and eight years old and work together in groups, wearing worn-out clothes and going barefooted.
HARIAN Metro reported that child beggars in Kuala Lumpur were picking up the Arabic language in a move to get more sympathy from tourists from the Middle East.
Recent checks around the city by the daily found child beggars preferring foreigners as prey, as their “donations” were often bigger compared to locals, who usually looked the other way.
These children would brave the scorching heat of the city in the afternoons, waiting outside restaurants popular with Arab tourists.
The child beggars are reported to be between six and eight years old and work together in groups, wearing worn-out clothes and going barefooted.
2007 07: Girl alleges rape in school
The Star Online. News. Nation. Tuesday July 24, 2007
GERIK: Had it not been for an observant sister-in-law, a rapist would have got off scot-free.
The 13-year-old victim had been reluctant to speak out for fear of her life but the sister-in-law noticed something amiss, got the girl to talk and lodged a police report.
Gerik OCPD Supt Mahad Nor Abdullah said a suspect in his 30s would be arrested soon.
“The girl had been warned that she would be killed if she spoke about the incident,” he said.
In her report, the girl said she was raped by a male school staff member at her school at night on July 11 after a nasyid recital session.
GERIK: Had it not been for an observant sister-in-law, a rapist would have got off scot-free.
The 13-year-old victim had been reluctant to speak out for fear of her life but the sister-in-law noticed something amiss, got the girl to talk and lodged a police report.
Gerik OCPD Supt Mahad Nor Abdullah said a suspect in his 30s would be arrested soon.
“The girl had been warned that she would be killed if she spoke about the incident,” he said.
In her report, the girl said she was raped by a male school staff member at her school at night on July 11 after a nasyid recital session.
2007 07: Civil servant charged with raping teenager
The Star Online. News. Nation. Tuesday July 24, 2007
JOHOR BARU: A 23-year-old civil servant was charged in the Sessions Court for raping a 14-year-old student.
Mohd Farid Mohamed Sharif, a Works department personnel, was charged with committing the offence at a house in Taman Dahlia at 10am on July 7.
Judge Aliman Musri set bail at RM6,000 and the family of the accused posted bail.
Judge Aliman set Sept 18 for mention.
Asst Supt Kalawan Singh prosecuted the case while defence council Noraini Kamaruddin represented the accused.
In another case, an odd-job worker claimed trial at the same court for armed robbery.
Nurul Karulisman Othman, 26, was charged with robbing Chua Chong Heng, 60, while armed with a Revolver at a shop house in Taman Sentosa.
He was charged under Section 4 of the Firearms Act (Increased Penalty) 1971.
He was alleged to have committed the offence on Feb 25 at 8.15pm.
Judge Aliman set Aug 29 for mention.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jean Jesudasan prosecuted the case while the accused was represented by council G.K. Sreetharan.
JOHOR BARU: A 23-year-old civil servant was charged in the Sessions Court for raping a 14-year-old student.
Mohd Farid Mohamed Sharif, a Works department personnel, was charged with committing the offence at a house in Taman Dahlia at 10am on July 7.
Judge Aliman Musri set bail at RM6,000 and the family of the accused posted bail.
Judge Aliman set Sept 18 for mention.
Asst Supt Kalawan Singh prosecuted the case while defence council Noraini Kamaruddin represented the accused.
In another case, an odd-job worker claimed trial at the same court for armed robbery.
Nurul Karulisman Othman, 26, was charged with robbing Chua Chong Heng, 60, while armed with a Revolver at a shop house in Taman Sentosa.
He was charged under Section 4 of the Firearms Act (Increased Penalty) 1971.
He was alleged to have committed the offence on Feb 25 at 8.15pm.
Judge Aliman set Aug 29 for mention.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jean Jesudasan prosecuted the case while the accused was represented by council G.K. Sreetharan.
Thursday, 26 July 2007
2007 07: Baby abandoned in cardboard box
The Star Online. News. Nation. Sunday July 22, 2007
BUKIT MERTAJAM: A newborn baby girl was found alive in a cardboard box left on a car boot in Persiaran Jenahak Dua, Taman Tun Hussein Onn, in Seberang Jaya near here.
Central Seberang Prai district police chief Asst Comm Mohd Anil Shah Abdullah said police rushed to the scene after receiving a call at 7.45am yesterday.
He said the baby, believed to be a day old, was found by a resident.
“After hearing cries of the baby outside his house, the man went out and, to his surprise, found a baby crying inside a cardboard box. He called the police,” ACP Mohd Anil Shah said.
He said the baby, which was wrapped in a piece of cloth, was sent to the Seberang Jaya Hospital for observation.
ACP Mohd Anil Shah urged those with information on the baby to contact Insp Lina Tun at the district police headquarters at 04-5382222 or the nearest police station.
BUKIT MERTAJAM: A newborn baby girl was found alive in a cardboard box left on a car boot in Persiaran Jenahak Dua, Taman Tun Hussein Onn, in Seberang Jaya near here.
Central Seberang Prai district police chief Asst Comm Mohd Anil Shah Abdullah said police rushed to the scene after receiving a call at 7.45am yesterday.
He said the baby, believed to be a day old, was found by a resident.
“After hearing cries of the baby outside his house, the man went out and, to his surprise, found a baby crying inside a cardboard box. He called the police,” ACP Mohd Anil Shah said.
He said the baby, which was wrapped in a piece of cloth, was sent to the Seberang Jaya Hospital for observation.
ACP Mohd Anil Shah urged those with information on the baby to contact Insp Lina Tun at the district police headquarters at 04-5382222 or the nearest police station.
2007 07: Ministry to probe squatting incident
The Star Online. News. Nation. Sunday July 22, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: The Education Ministry will carry out a thorough investigation into a claim that 200 girl boarders in Sarawak were forced into a fish pond as punishment because one of them left a sanitary towel in a toilet bowl.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said an investigation was under way to establish what actually happened.
It was reported that the girls from a secondary school in Sibu were forced to squat in the murky fish pond for an hour.
The Form One to Form Five students were allegedly forced into the pond inside the school compound from 4pm on Wednesday by a woman warden.
The warden watched over them with an umbrella as it was raining.
“We do not want to point fingers at anyone now but we will take action against those who are wrong,” Hishammuddin told reporters after attending the convocation of 500 teachers at the Teachers Training Institute here yesterday.
In Kuching, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Fatimah Abdullah said the case should be brought to the school’s disciplinary board and a report handed over to the state education department.
Fatimah said any punishment meted out must be in accordance with the school’s rules and regulations.
“But I’m sure the punishment for those caught throwing a sanitary pad into the toilet bowl is not asking them to squat in a pond.”
The school's parent-teacher association chairman Jimmy Kiu who runs the school canteen, witnessed the incident and contacted a local daily to expose the incident.
Describing the punishment as “harsh”, Kiu said he would speak to the parents before deciding on the next course of action.
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FISH POND PUNISHMENT: Teacher should be sacked, says ex-DG
NST Online. Newsbreak. 23/7/07
Former education director-general Tan Sri Murad Mohd Nor has urged for the immediate sacking of a teacher in Sarawak who forced about 200 female students into a fish pond as a punishment last week.
The English teacher, who is also a hostel warden, had no right to mete out such punishment because as a warden she was supposed to protect and assist the students besides being a substitute parent while they were at the hostel, he said.
“The parents entrusted her to protect their children. Instead, they were abused for an offence they may not have committed,” he said and added that it did not mean that students were immune from punishments.
If they were proven guilty, only the headmaster and disciplinary teacher could mete out punishments on them and the punishment should be within the rule and not excessive, he said.
It was reported that in the Wednesday’s incident, the teacher ordered the girl boarders to stay in a murky fishpond inside the school compound for an hour because one of them dumped a sanitary pad into a toilet bowl.
Murad said teachers should be rational in disciplining students so as not to go against the rules set out by the government.
“We are in an educational institution not a prison. Therefore, teachers are bound by regulations in carrying out punishments,” he said.
He also advised teachers to adopt the correct approach in dealing with indiscipline among students and practise what they had learnt when undergoing the teaching course.
“If we educate the students in a violent way, the students will be violent. And don’t be too enthusiastic with discipline,” he said.
He said teachers should use a good manners approach, be compromising, instill care and love values, and not to follow extreme emotions when educating students.
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Teacher shows courage in pond punishment
The Star Online. Opinion. Tuesday July 24, 2007
I REFER to “Fish pond punishment” (The Star, July 23) and as a parent of schoolgoing kids, I salute Ms Wee Yim Pien for her outstanding courage and sense of common decency in meting out punishment to the schoolgirls as reported.
To state my own experience, I have transferred my youngest son from his school last year because of the inability of his headmistress and teachers to maintain discipline in school.
To the PTA chairman, Jimmy Kiu, my advice is not to bark up the wrong tree. Leave Wee alone and run an education programme on his school’s kids on personal health and hygiene.
I have a school-going daughter who gets regular lectures from me on where to throw her sanitary pads. If I so much as know that she throws them into any toilet, be it at home, or school, or any public toilet, I would hit the roof.
To the parents of the girls who have committed this mistake, especially the mothers, grow up! My bottom line always is, if you do not have the maturity to bring up your kids, then do not have sex.
If you must indulge in the latter, then be ready to face up to the responsibility of bringing up a decent kid who will grow up into a decent adult with a family of his own to nurture.
I wish to add that I pray that every school has teachers like Wee because our children spend at least five hours in school every school day.
And finally, to Wee, May God Bless you and Keep You Safe.
PUTEN JERINEH RAMLI
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
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Teacher in 'pond squat' case not suspended
The Star Online. Nation. News. Wednesday July 25, 2007
KUCHING: The SMK Bawang Assan warden who forced 200 schoolgirls to squat in a pond as a form of punishment is not under suspension.
State education director Rabiah Johari clarified that Wee Yim Pien, also the school’s English teacher, had not gone on leave as reported.
"She is not on leave, she is back teaching at the school," she told reporters after receiving anti-bullying posters for schools. "A police report has not been lodged."
Rabiah said the department was still investigating the incident and would only decide on the next course of action when the probe was completed.
She said officers from the department were sent to Sibu on Tuesday to assist the divisional education office in the investigation.
"For disciplinary cases involving teachers, we have certain procedures which we will follow in deciding what action to take," she added.
She said the department did not condone what Wee had done but pointed out that teachers needed to take disciplinary action against errant students.
"We don’t want teachers to not discipline students as this will lead to social problems. In a case like this, we do not look only at the teacher’s actions but also whether she was feeling pressured or stressed.
"After all, according to reports she had been trying for three years to get the students to dispose sanitary pads properly and not clog the toilets," she said.
"So maybe she felt stressed by the situation," she said, adding that the department had given Wee some counselling.
Meanwhile the Federation of Sarawak Teachers’ Unions said issues involving school discipline should be left to the proper authorities to resolve.
It also recommended that the disciplinary guidelines for teachers, set out in 1959, be reviewed and updated to suit current conditions.
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There are limits to punishment
The Star Online. Opinion. Wednesday July 25, 2007
I CAN’T agree with the letter “Teacher shows courage in pond punishment” (The Star, July 24)
In meting out punishment on kids we must be practical and pragmatic. After all, they are children. Could the teacher have not acted a bit wiser here?
Wrongs must be punished, but to kill an ant you do not use a brick, a pebble would do.
To me any punishment must not be humiliating or capable of destroying one’s self- esteem.
BULBIR SINGH
Seremban
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Pond squat issue: Settled, all is forgiven
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
KUCHING: The dust has settled over the infamous "pond squat" issue and SMK Bawang Assan school warden Wee Yim Pien has been forgiven.
She has also apologised to the families for forcing some 170 girl boarders into a fishpond last week.
Wee, 27, who is also the schools' English teacher, with a Master's degree, had meted out the punishment over repeated dumping of sanitary pads in the school's toilet bowls.
The school’s parent-teacher association chairman Jimmy Kiu said: "Everybody has forgiven her."
He added that the parents and the students wanted the teacher to stay.
"We do not want the students to suffer as the PMR examination is coming.
“The incident is settled in good faith.It is hoped that there is no more a repetition,” Kiu said in a telephone interview on Thursday.
This followed a meeting attended by Kiu, Wee, school principal Kandon Ngadi, Sibu divisional education officer Charles Tiong. parents and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar’s special representative Shashim Shah on Wednesday.
An emotional Wee was seen hugging some of the parents and shook hands with others as the episode came to an end.
Kiu said it would be up to the state Education Department to decide whether action should be taken against Wee.
Shashim said the department’s report on the investigation into the incident had been sumbitted to the Education Ministry, which would decide if any action would be taken against Wee.
Asked if Wee would continue as the warden, Kiu declined to comment, saying that this was the school’s administrative matter. The school has more than 500 students, including some 300 borders.
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Teacher in ‘pond squat’ case not suspended
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
KUCHING: The SMK Bawang Assan warden who forced 200 schoolgirls to squat in a pond as a form of punishment is not under suspension.
State education director Rabiah Johari clarified that Wee Yim Pien, also the school’s English teacher, had not gone on leave as reported.
“She is back teaching at the school,” she told reporters after receiving anti-bullying posters for schools.
“A police report has not been lodged.”
Rabiah said the department would decide on the next course of action when the probe was completed.
She said the department did not condone what Wee had done but pointed out that teachers needed to take disciplinary action against errant students.
“We don’t want teachers to not discipline students as this will lead to social problems. In a case like this, we do not look only at the teacher’s actions but also whether she was feeling pressured or stressed.
“After all, according to reports she had been trying for three years to get the students to dispose sanitary pads properly and not clog the toilets,” she said.
The Sarawak Teachers Union (STU) has come out in support of its members accused of meting out harsh punishment on students.
Its president William Gani Bina noted that teachers and school heads were helpless as they could not reply to the accusations thrown at them in public.
“No teacher or school head who is in the right frame of mind would mete out excessive punishments,” he said adding that student indiscipline was on the rise.
He said there were an increasing number of students who have total disregard for school authority, and disobeying orders and directives.
Meanwhile the school’s parent-teacher association chairman Jimmy Kiu said Wee had apologised to the parents in a meeting yesterday.
Following the apology, he said the parents withdrew their demand for Wee to be transferred out.
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Many have benefited from corporal punishment
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
I FULLY agree with Puten Jerinah Ramli (“Teacher shows courage in pond punishment” – The Star, July 24).
I also empathise with the headmistress of SK Gayang in Tuaran, too; she has been suspended for slapping some students.
I am glad I was not tarred and feathered for slapping students for misbehaving or for not doing their work when I taught at a kampung school, a fishing town school or two premier city schools.
The principals of the four schools where I taught were strict disciplinarians and supported me to the hilt.
The principals of the premier city schools were known throughout the country as good administrators and great disciplinarians. They were eventually promoted to state chief education officers, and always backed teachers fully where corporal punishment was concerned.
Students caught playing truant at the kampung school were rounded up by the principal and taken to help old farmers till their padi fields. I used to have fishermen-parents coming to thank me for disciplining their children.
Students at the premier city schools who gave problems found themselves doing circuit training on the sports field.
I am gratified to know that so many of my students from the different schools have done well.
Some of them hold top positions in the public and private sectors in our country, in Singapore, in the UK, Europe and Australia.
We still meet at alumni gatherings, laughing and reminiscing at the whiplash of my right hand of years gone by!
One of them, the CEO of a multi-national company, will tell everyone that the sting of my five fingers on his cheek was the catalyst that woke him up to work hard and be what he is today!
B.S. TEOH,
Ipoh, Perak.
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Let the teacher do her job
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
I FULLY support what Puten Jerineh Ramli wrote in her letter regarding the fish pond punishment incident (The Star, July 24).
When I was in school and the toilets were jammed up or misused, classes of students had to take turns to stay in the toilets for at least 10 minutes as punishment.
I resented the discipline then but now being a mother, I have taught my children well. They will not mess up toilets, throw things out of the car and, in general, they care for and respect public amenities.
These days, parents treat their children like precious little princes and princesses. In public places, they are allowed to run wild and mess around even with things on display.
I have seen young children shouting at their maids even in the parents’ presence and get away without reprimand. I have seen maids putting shoes on schoolgoing children who seem quite capable of doing it on their own!
So, instead of picking on a teacher who’s trying to do something to instil discipline, let her do her job and retain her respect.
Children have to learn to respect those in authority early in life. If they don’t respect their teachers now, they will have no respect for others in authority later on in life.
JEANNETTE L. TAI,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
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Their mistake, so they must be punished
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
AS a student, I strongly agree with the warden’s decision to punish the schoolgirls. They have to realise that it was their mistake, and therefore deserved to be punished.
Students should respect teachers as figures of authorities, because whatever a teacher does is for the benefit of the students.
As for parents, they should understand the reason behind the punishments. If parents continue to spoil their children, what is the point of having teachers to educate students?
CONCERNED STUDENT,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
KOTA KINABALU: The Education Ministry will carry out a thorough investigation into a claim that 200 girl boarders in Sarawak were forced into a fish pond as punishment because one of them left a sanitary towel in a toilet bowl.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said an investigation was under way to establish what actually happened.
It was reported that the girls from a secondary school in Sibu were forced to squat in the murky fish pond for an hour.
The Form One to Form Five students were allegedly forced into the pond inside the school compound from 4pm on Wednesday by a woman warden.
The warden watched over them with an umbrella as it was raining.
“We do not want to point fingers at anyone now but we will take action against those who are wrong,” Hishammuddin told reporters after attending the convocation of 500 teachers at the Teachers Training Institute here yesterday.
In Kuching, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Fatimah Abdullah said the case should be brought to the school’s disciplinary board and a report handed over to the state education department.
Fatimah said any punishment meted out must be in accordance with the school’s rules and regulations.
“But I’m sure the punishment for those caught throwing a sanitary pad into the toilet bowl is not asking them to squat in a pond.”
The school's parent-teacher association chairman Jimmy Kiu who runs the school canteen, witnessed the incident and contacted a local daily to expose the incident.
Describing the punishment as “harsh”, Kiu said he would speak to the parents before deciding on the next course of action.
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FISH POND PUNISHMENT: Teacher should be sacked, says ex-DG
NST Online. Newsbreak. 23/7/07
Former education director-general Tan Sri Murad Mohd Nor has urged for the immediate sacking of a teacher in Sarawak who forced about 200 female students into a fish pond as a punishment last week.
The English teacher, who is also a hostel warden, had no right to mete out such punishment because as a warden she was supposed to protect and assist the students besides being a substitute parent while they were at the hostel, he said.
“The parents entrusted her to protect their children. Instead, they were abused for an offence they may not have committed,” he said and added that it did not mean that students were immune from punishments.
If they were proven guilty, only the headmaster and disciplinary teacher could mete out punishments on them and the punishment should be within the rule and not excessive, he said.
It was reported that in the Wednesday’s incident, the teacher ordered the girl boarders to stay in a murky fishpond inside the school compound for an hour because one of them dumped a sanitary pad into a toilet bowl.
Murad said teachers should be rational in disciplining students so as not to go against the rules set out by the government.
“We are in an educational institution not a prison. Therefore, teachers are bound by regulations in carrying out punishments,” he said.
He also advised teachers to adopt the correct approach in dealing with indiscipline among students and practise what they had learnt when undergoing the teaching course.
“If we educate the students in a violent way, the students will be violent. And don’t be too enthusiastic with discipline,” he said.
He said teachers should use a good manners approach, be compromising, instill care and love values, and not to follow extreme emotions when educating students.
.........................................................
Teacher shows courage in pond punishment
The Star Online. Opinion. Tuesday July 24, 2007
I REFER to “Fish pond punishment” (The Star, July 23) and as a parent of schoolgoing kids, I salute Ms Wee Yim Pien for her outstanding courage and sense of common decency in meting out punishment to the schoolgirls as reported.
To state my own experience, I have transferred my youngest son from his school last year because of the inability of his headmistress and teachers to maintain discipline in school.
To the PTA chairman, Jimmy Kiu, my advice is not to bark up the wrong tree. Leave Wee alone and run an education programme on his school’s kids on personal health and hygiene.
I have a school-going daughter who gets regular lectures from me on where to throw her sanitary pads. If I so much as know that she throws them into any toilet, be it at home, or school, or any public toilet, I would hit the roof.
To the parents of the girls who have committed this mistake, especially the mothers, grow up! My bottom line always is, if you do not have the maturity to bring up your kids, then do not have sex.
If you must indulge in the latter, then be ready to face up to the responsibility of bringing up a decent kid who will grow up into a decent adult with a family of his own to nurture.
I wish to add that I pray that every school has teachers like Wee because our children spend at least five hours in school every school day.
And finally, to Wee, May God Bless you and Keep You Safe.
PUTEN JERINEH RAMLI
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
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Teacher in 'pond squat' case not suspended
The Star Online. Nation. News. Wednesday July 25, 2007
KUCHING: The SMK Bawang Assan warden who forced 200 schoolgirls to squat in a pond as a form of punishment is not under suspension.
State education director Rabiah Johari clarified that Wee Yim Pien, also the school’s English teacher, had not gone on leave as reported.
"She is not on leave, she is back teaching at the school," she told reporters after receiving anti-bullying posters for schools. "A police report has not been lodged."
Rabiah said the department was still investigating the incident and would only decide on the next course of action when the probe was completed.
She said officers from the department were sent to Sibu on Tuesday to assist the divisional education office in the investigation.
"For disciplinary cases involving teachers, we have certain procedures which we will follow in deciding what action to take," she added.
She said the department did not condone what Wee had done but pointed out that teachers needed to take disciplinary action against errant students.
"We don’t want teachers to not discipline students as this will lead to social problems. In a case like this, we do not look only at the teacher’s actions but also whether she was feeling pressured or stressed.
"After all, according to reports she had been trying for three years to get the students to dispose sanitary pads properly and not clog the toilets," she said.
"So maybe she felt stressed by the situation," she said, adding that the department had given Wee some counselling.
Meanwhile the Federation of Sarawak Teachers’ Unions said issues involving school discipline should be left to the proper authorities to resolve.
It also recommended that the disciplinary guidelines for teachers, set out in 1959, be reviewed and updated to suit current conditions.
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There are limits to punishment
The Star Online. Opinion. Wednesday July 25, 2007
I CAN’T agree with the letter “Teacher shows courage in pond punishment” (The Star, July 24)
In meting out punishment on kids we must be practical and pragmatic. After all, they are children. Could the teacher have not acted a bit wiser here?
Wrongs must be punished, but to kill an ant you do not use a brick, a pebble would do.
To me any punishment must not be humiliating or capable of destroying one’s self- esteem.
BULBIR SINGH
Seremban
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Pond squat issue: Settled, all is forgiven
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
KUCHING: The dust has settled over the infamous "pond squat" issue and SMK Bawang Assan school warden Wee Yim Pien has been forgiven.
She has also apologised to the families for forcing some 170 girl boarders into a fishpond last week.
Wee, 27, who is also the schools' English teacher, with a Master's degree, had meted out the punishment over repeated dumping of sanitary pads in the school's toilet bowls.
The school’s parent-teacher association chairman Jimmy Kiu said: "Everybody has forgiven her."
He added that the parents and the students wanted the teacher to stay.
"We do not want the students to suffer as the PMR examination is coming.
“The incident is settled in good faith.It is hoped that there is no more a repetition,” Kiu said in a telephone interview on Thursday.
This followed a meeting attended by Kiu, Wee, school principal Kandon Ngadi, Sibu divisional education officer Charles Tiong. parents and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar’s special representative Shashim Shah on Wednesday.
An emotional Wee was seen hugging some of the parents and shook hands with others as the episode came to an end.
Kiu said it would be up to the state Education Department to decide whether action should be taken against Wee.
Shashim said the department’s report on the investigation into the incident had been sumbitted to the Education Ministry, which would decide if any action would be taken against Wee.
Asked if Wee would continue as the warden, Kiu declined to comment, saying that this was the school’s administrative matter. The school has more than 500 students, including some 300 borders.
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Teacher in ‘pond squat’ case not suspended
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
KUCHING: The SMK Bawang Assan warden who forced 200 schoolgirls to squat in a pond as a form of punishment is not under suspension.
State education director Rabiah Johari clarified that Wee Yim Pien, also the school’s English teacher, had not gone on leave as reported.
“She is back teaching at the school,” she told reporters after receiving anti-bullying posters for schools.
“A police report has not been lodged.”
Rabiah said the department would decide on the next course of action when the probe was completed.
She said the department did not condone what Wee had done but pointed out that teachers needed to take disciplinary action against errant students.
“We don’t want teachers to not discipline students as this will lead to social problems. In a case like this, we do not look only at the teacher’s actions but also whether she was feeling pressured or stressed.
“After all, according to reports she had been trying for three years to get the students to dispose sanitary pads properly and not clog the toilets,” she said.
The Sarawak Teachers Union (STU) has come out in support of its members accused of meting out harsh punishment on students.
Its president William Gani Bina noted that teachers and school heads were helpless as they could not reply to the accusations thrown at them in public.
“No teacher or school head who is in the right frame of mind would mete out excessive punishments,” he said adding that student indiscipline was on the rise.
He said there were an increasing number of students who have total disregard for school authority, and disobeying orders and directives.
Meanwhile the school’s parent-teacher association chairman Jimmy Kiu said Wee had apologised to the parents in a meeting yesterday.
Following the apology, he said the parents withdrew their demand for Wee to be transferred out.
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Many have benefited from corporal punishment
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
I FULLY agree with Puten Jerinah Ramli (“Teacher shows courage in pond punishment” – The Star, July 24).
I also empathise with the headmistress of SK Gayang in Tuaran, too; she has been suspended for slapping some students.
I am glad I was not tarred and feathered for slapping students for misbehaving or for not doing their work when I taught at a kampung school, a fishing town school or two premier city schools.
The principals of the four schools where I taught were strict disciplinarians and supported me to the hilt.
The principals of the premier city schools were known throughout the country as good administrators and great disciplinarians. They were eventually promoted to state chief education officers, and always backed teachers fully where corporal punishment was concerned.
Students caught playing truant at the kampung school were rounded up by the principal and taken to help old farmers till their padi fields. I used to have fishermen-parents coming to thank me for disciplining their children.
Students at the premier city schools who gave problems found themselves doing circuit training on the sports field.
I am gratified to know that so many of my students from the different schools have done well.
Some of them hold top positions in the public and private sectors in our country, in Singapore, in the UK, Europe and Australia.
We still meet at alumni gatherings, laughing and reminiscing at the whiplash of my right hand of years gone by!
One of them, the CEO of a multi-national company, will tell everyone that the sting of my five fingers on his cheek was the catalyst that woke him up to work hard and be what he is today!
B.S. TEOH,
Ipoh, Perak.
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Let the teacher do her job
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
I FULLY support what Puten Jerineh Ramli wrote in her letter regarding the fish pond punishment incident (The Star, July 24).
When I was in school and the toilets were jammed up or misused, classes of students had to take turns to stay in the toilets for at least 10 minutes as punishment.
I resented the discipline then but now being a mother, I have taught my children well. They will not mess up toilets, throw things out of the car and, in general, they care for and respect public amenities.
These days, parents treat their children like precious little princes and princesses. In public places, they are allowed to run wild and mess around even with things on display.
I have seen young children shouting at their maids even in the parents’ presence and get away without reprimand. I have seen maids putting shoes on schoolgoing children who seem quite capable of doing it on their own!
So, instead of picking on a teacher who’s trying to do something to instil discipline, let her do her job and retain her respect.
Children have to learn to respect those in authority early in life. If they don’t respect their teachers now, they will have no respect for others in authority later on in life.
JEANNETTE L. TAI,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
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Their mistake, so they must be punished
The Star Online. News. Nation. Thursday July 26, 2007
AS a student, I strongly agree with the warden’s decision to punish the schoolgirls. They have to realise that it was their mistake, and therefore deserved to be punished.
Students should respect teachers as figures of authorities, because whatever a teacher does is for the benefit of the students.
As for parents, they should understand the reason behind the punishments. If parents continue to spoil their children, what is the point of having teachers to educate students?
CONCERNED STUDENT,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
2007 07: School kids lodge police report over injuries inflicted by caning
The Star Online. News. Nation. Sunday July 22, 2007
MIRI: Seven 13-year old students from SMK Long Lama have lodged police reports claiming that they had suffered injuries to their backs and buttocks because of repeated canings by their teacher.
The Form One students are from the remote school located more than 300km inland from Miri, in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak.
They have also lodged complaints at the Miri Education Department following the incident that they alleged took place on Thursday night at their school's hostel.
The parents of the students came down to Miri over the weekend to seek advice from the authorities here after lodging the police reports at the Long Lama police station.
In their reports, they claimed that a male teacher had caned their children between 10 and 20 times each after he had found the hostel in a mess, with rubbish strewn around.
The students suffered physical and mental anguish because of the incident, and some of them had become sick after the caning, said the parents.
The parents claimed that their children could not sleep properly for days after the caning because of the constant pain due to wounds to the skin inflicted by the cane.
The victims' parents want the Education Department to take appropriate disciplinary action against the teacher concerned, and to ensure that such aggressive behaviour was not repeated.
SMK Long Lama has about 500 students, most of whom from deep interior settlements.
Three days ago, more than 200 students from a school in Sibu were forced to squat in a fish pond for more than an hour.
These girls were punished because a warden found toilet bowls littered with sanitary pads, it was alleged.
MIRI: Seven 13-year old students from SMK Long Lama have lodged police reports claiming that they had suffered injuries to their backs and buttocks because of repeated canings by their teacher.
The Form One students are from the remote school located more than 300km inland from Miri, in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak.
They have also lodged complaints at the Miri Education Department following the incident that they alleged took place on Thursday night at their school's hostel.
The parents of the students came down to Miri over the weekend to seek advice from the authorities here after lodging the police reports at the Long Lama police station.
In their reports, they claimed that a male teacher had caned their children between 10 and 20 times each after he had found the hostel in a mess, with rubbish strewn around.
The students suffered physical and mental anguish because of the incident, and some of them had become sick after the caning, said the parents.
The parents claimed that their children could not sleep properly for days after the caning because of the constant pain due to wounds to the skin inflicted by the cane.
The victims' parents want the Education Department to take appropriate disciplinary action against the teacher concerned, and to ensure that such aggressive behaviour was not repeated.
SMK Long Lama has about 500 students, most of whom from deep interior settlements.
Three days ago, more than 200 students from a school in Sibu were forced to squat in a fish pond for more than an hour.
These girls were punished because a warden found toilet bowls littered with sanitary pads, it was alleged.
Monday, 23 July 2007
2007 07: Help for the boys behind bars
The Star Online. Metro. Friday July 20, 2007
Kumar (not his real name), 13, has been detained at the Kajang Boys Prison for the past three months for allegedly stealing a handphone.
To bail him out, his parents need to pay RM2,500. The amount is too much for Kumar’s family to afford as they barely have enough to survive.
So Kumar continues to stay behind bars, uncertain of when he would be able to return home again or what the future holds for him, pending a court decision, which can drag on for months.
“When these boys were caught, they were charged under the Penal Code which gives the warrant to send them here,” said Kajang Prison deputy superintendent Ranjit Singh Gurdev Singh.
“People have asked me why parents do not bail their children out, but they do not know of the extreme poverty some of these families have to endure. Some poor parents are happy when their children can find some money of their own. But they are not bothered to know how and where their children get the money from,” said Ranjit Singh.
Currently, there are about 600 teenage boys detained in the prison, of which 400 are under remand while the rest are convicted prisoners.
“It’s sad that these young boys, for some petty offences committed, are spending an undefined amount of time in prison while waiting for their cases to be heard by courts. That’s why the prison has drawn up a list of daily programmes from basic vocational skills to education to help them pick up something while they are here,” Ranjit said.
Also investing their time and effort to help the boys are facilitators from the Shelter Home for Children, who teach basic computer skills, facilitate group therapy sessions, as well as teach examination subjects for those sitting for the PMR and SPM.
“There’s no future for these poor boys without education,” Shelter executive director James Nayagam said.
“When they come out, they would have lost out on education and unable to go back to school again, especially since they have dropped out for three months or so. They carry a stigma that becomes the talk of the town.
“Without acceptance from society, they turn to their old circle of bad friends again and this is what triggers a vicious cycle,” said Nayagam.
He said Shelter Home was very concerned about the mental development of the teenagers.
“These are boys at their prime with their blood rushing. They should be out playing soccer, watching movie with friends, or be involved in activities that keep their brain active. When they are imprisoned, they feel a sense of disappointment, regret, hopelessness and anxiety. About 80% of them have self-esteem that are below average,” Nayagam said.
“I believe rehabilitation is the answer to making them better persons, not punishment. Mental development programmes are vital to help these boys to speak about their parents and upbringing in a therapeutic way. Without being taught to express their feelings, they will grow up to become vengeful adults,” said Nayagam.
He appreciates the good work the prison is doing in helping the boys. But he questions the lack of action by other agencies.
“Where are these parties? What are they doing to help? Why is preference given to VIPs for court hearings when there are boys waiting for people to show them some mercy?” he asked.
Shelter Home workers visit the prison on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to facilitate the various classes for the boys aged between 13 and 19.
It has been three and half years now since the programme started. On Saturdays, Shelter brings in dental and medical teams to conduct check-ups on the boys.
Nayagam also writes recommendation letters addressed to the courts to help reduce jail sentences, reduce bail, or acquit the boys. This year alone, he has, through his recommendations, helped to dispose of cases, provide bail, and acquitted some 200 of them.
Ranjit said 19 boys in the prison were illiterate.
“For this group, the prison conducts the basic 3M (membaca, menulis, mengira) classes to help them read, write, and count. A member of our staff also guides the Muslim boys who don’t know how to pray and know nothing about Islam as they are illiterate,” Ranjit said.
Assistant superintendent Thavamany Gopal said the prison had also started a Putra Programme, where the boys were trained in marching while the Therapeutic Community (TC) programme for convicted prisoners is a behaviour modification and management programme for prisoners convicted on drug addiction and crime.
“At the end of the day, we want them to be assertive enough to say no to drugs. For rape cases, we conduct psycho-drama techniques to help the rapists release their feelings. A lot of self-awareness is involved, as we teach them about respect for women,” said Thavamany, a trained counsellor.
Ranjit later showed StarMetro a cell which has been converted into a library with books donated by the Rotary Club of Ampang. Then, there is another cell with sewing machines for the boys to pick up tailoring skills.
If only the boys were charged differently under the Juvenile Court, they would be sent to Henry Gurney School in Malacca and not end up here.
As for young Kumar, Nayagam will be writing a recommendation letter in order to relocate him to Tunas Bakti, a remand centre with a homely setting.
Shelter Home, meanwhile, is in need of more volunteers to facilitate classes at the prison and funding that would be channelled directly there.
To assist, call 012-314 1100 or 03-7955 0663, or write to P.O Box 23, Jalan Sultan, Petaling Jaya. Alternatively, log on to http://www.shelterhome.org/
Kumar (not his real name), 13, has been detained at the Kajang Boys Prison for the past three months for allegedly stealing a handphone.
To bail him out, his parents need to pay RM2,500. The amount is too much for Kumar’s family to afford as they barely have enough to survive.
So Kumar continues to stay behind bars, uncertain of when he would be able to return home again or what the future holds for him, pending a court decision, which can drag on for months.
“When these boys were caught, they were charged under the Penal Code which gives the warrant to send them here,” said Kajang Prison deputy superintendent Ranjit Singh Gurdev Singh.
“People have asked me why parents do not bail their children out, but they do not know of the extreme poverty some of these families have to endure. Some poor parents are happy when their children can find some money of their own. But they are not bothered to know how and where their children get the money from,” said Ranjit Singh.
Currently, there are about 600 teenage boys detained in the prison, of which 400 are under remand while the rest are convicted prisoners.
“It’s sad that these young boys, for some petty offences committed, are spending an undefined amount of time in prison while waiting for their cases to be heard by courts. That’s why the prison has drawn up a list of daily programmes from basic vocational skills to education to help them pick up something while they are here,” Ranjit said.
Also investing their time and effort to help the boys are facilitators from the Shelter Home for Children, who teach basic computer skills, facilitate group therapy sessions, as well as teach examination subjects for those sitting for the PMR and SPM.
“There’s no future for these poor boys without education,” Shelter executive director James Nayagam said.
“When they come out, they would have lost out on education and unable to go back to school again, especially since they have dropped out for three months or so. They carry a stigma that becomes the talk of the town.
“Without acceptance from society, they turn to their old circle of bad friends again and this is what triggers a vicious cycle,” said Nayagam.
He said Shelter Home was very concerned about the mental development of the teenagers.
“These are boys at their prime with their blood rushing. They should be out playing soccer, watching movie with friends, or be involved in activities that keep their brain active. When they are imprisoned, they feel a sense of disappointment, regret, hopelessness and anxiety. About 80% of them have self-esteem that are below average,” Nayagam said.
“I believe rehabilitation is the answer to making them better persons, not punishment. Mental development programmes are vital to help these boys to speak about their parents and upbringing in a therapeutic way. Without being taught to express their feelings, they will grow up to become vengeful adults,” said Nayagam.
He appreciates the good work the prison is doing in helping the boys. But he questions the lack of action by other agencies.
“Where are these parties? What are they doing to help? Why is preference given to VIPs for court hearings when there are boys waiting for people to show them some mercy?” he asked.
Shelter Home workers visit the prison on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to facilitate the various classes for the boys aged between 13 and 19.
It has been three and half years now since the programme started. On Saturdays, Shelter brings in dental and medical teams to conduct check-ups on the boys.
Nayagam also writes recommendation letters addressed to the courts to help reduce jail sentences, reduce bail, or acquit the boys. This year alone, he has, through his recommendations, helped to dispose of cases, provide bail, and acquitted some 200 of them.
Ranjit said 19 boys in the prison were illiterate.
“For this group, the prison conducts the basic 3M (membaca, menulis, mengira) classes to help them read, write, and count. A member of our staff also guides the Muslim boys who don’t know how to pray and know nothing about Islam as they are illiterate,” Ranjit said.
Assistant superintendent Thavamany Gopal said the prison had also started a Putra Programme, where the boys were trained in marching while the Therapeutic Community (TC) programme for convicted prisoners is a behaviour modification and management programme for prisoners convicted on drug addiction and crime.
“At the end of the day, we want them to be assertive enough to say no to drugs. For rape cases, we conduct psycho-drama techniques to help the rapists release their feelings. A lot of self-awareness is involved, as we teach them about respect for women,” said Thavamany, a trained counsellor.
Ranjit later showed StarMetro a cell which has been converted into a library with books donated by the Rotary Club of Ampang. Then, there is another cell with sewing machines for the boys to pick up tailoring skills.
If only the boys were charged differently under the Juvenile Court, they would be sent to Henry Gurney School in Malacca and not end up here.
As for young Kumar, Nayagam will be writing a recommendation letter in order to relocate him to Tunas Bakti, a remand centre with a homely setting.
Shelter Home, meanwhile, is in need of more volunteers to facilitate classes at the prison and funding that would be channelled directly there.
To assist, call 012-314 1100 or 03-7955 0663, or write to P.O Box 23, Jalan Sultan, Petaling Jaya. Alternatively, log on to http://www.shelterhome.org/
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