Ex-MP furious with ‘violent’ teacher

Student’s ear drum damaged after being slapped by teacher for talking in class.

GEORGE TOWN: Former parliamentarian Tan Tee Beng is fuming mad with a ‘violent’ male teacher.

The ex-Nibong Tebal MP is angry that the teacher had slapped his 11-year-old nephew so hard that it damaged the boy’s eardrum.

Accompanied by Tee Beng, the boy, Tan Xin Ren has lodged a police report at Pulau Tikus police station at 11am today.

Xin Ren, Tee Beng’s eldest brother’s youngest son, has been hospitalised to receive medical treatment at the general hospital.

The incident took place at a co-ed vernacular school in Bagan Jermal area at 1.30pm on Tuesday.

Tee Beng said his nephew, Xin Ren, was summoned by the teacher for talking in the class.

Initially Xin Ren was slapped on the back and instructed by the teacher to give his father’s phone number.

But, when a ‘terrified’ Xin Ren replied that he could not recall the number, the teacher pulled his ear and slapped his cheek, which allegedly caused the damage.

“Medical scan showed that his eardrum has cracked,” Tee Beng told newsmen here today.

Xin Ren, who has a red mark on the left cheek, told newsmen that he was terrified when the teacher asked him for his father’s mobile number.

The pupil described the teacher, believed to be in his 40s, as “intimidating and fierce.”

Tee Beng has also lodged a complaint and sought an explanation from the school principal.

Tee Beng said several of his nephews who were also studying in the same school told him that the teacher had always been ‘aggressive’ when disciplining pupils.

He urged the Education Ministry to probe the issue immediately.

Matter under probe
When contacted, state education director Ahmad Tarmizi Kamaruddin said he had directed officers from the student affairs’ division and district education office to investigate the incident.

Sources revealed that the boy had told police that the teacher, who is ethnic Malay, had also verbally threatened him with racial remarks.

Police are currently investigating the case.

Meanwhile in another similar incident in Kajang, the police said they were investigating a primary school teacher who allegedly hit her 11-year-old student with her shoe.

“We are investigating this case very closely. We are not taking this matter lightly as it involves an underaged child,” Kajang OCPD Abdul Rashid told FMT.

FMT reported yesterday of the incident which happened last week in which the teacher had allegedly hit the boy with her shoe for leaving his note book at home.

Traumatised by the incident, the boy has not attended school since then.