Forcing students to run in the heat is archaic - group

Forcing students to run around in the heat while wearing face masks is an "archaic" form of punishment and highly inappropriate, said the Parent Action Group for Education (Page).

This comes after a 15-year-old female student at Sekolah Menengah Foon Yew in Kulai, Johor had to be admitted to a hospital for heart palpitations after she and her classmates were told to run 30 laps around a volleyball court last week for failing to finish their homework.

Page chairperson Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the teacher should be reprimanded for putting his students at risk.

"Such punishment is highly inappropriate. Teachers have been guided as to how best to enforce punishment, but this is not one of them.

"The student has made amends with the school but what remains is the way punishment was imposed on the whole class.

"The teacher should be reprimanded for putting the student at risk," Noor Azimah said when contacted by Malaysiakini.

Teachers should inspire students

She added that teachers should inspire their students rather than discourage learning.

"At the same time, school leaders should try to understand why students failed to complete the assignment given to them.

"Forcing students to run around in the heat with face masks on is archaic. Teachers should instead inspire rather than discourage learning."

Several local media reported yesterday (Thursday) that the female student had to be taken to a hospital by her family when she suffered heart palpitations after being ordered by a teacher to run around a volleyball court, which she did while wearing a face mask.

She was said to have started feeling unwell after running 15 rounds. Then, the teacher allowed her to complete the punishment by walking the rest of the rounds imposed on her.

Based on media reports, the incident came to light after the student's mother posted a photo of the victim on Facebook, accompanied with details of what her daughter had gone through at the school.

The school principal reportedly told the local daily China Press that the issue had been solved, with the teacher involved admitting to being in the wrong and apologising to the student's parents.

Face masks

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry in a comment to Malaysiakini stressed that the latest Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the National Security Council allow for face masks to be taken off during sports and recreational activities.

Face masks can be taken off during sports and recreational activities

"The SOP issued by the National Security Council is clear enough that masks are not required to be worn during sports and recreational activities," a MOH spokesperson said.

Malaysiakini had reached out to Health Ministry and the Education Ministry to get comments on the incident. So far, only the Health Ministry has responded, while there has yet to be a reply from the Education Ministry's Corporate Communications Department.

According to the latest Covid-19 SOP, which took effect on May 1 as part of the country's #ReopeningSafely initiative towards endemicity, the wearing of face masks is still required indoors.

However, there are several exceptions, including for sports and recreational activities, where a mask is not required to be worn when doing such activities but must be put back on immediately after it is done.

Promote diversity

On another issue, Noor Azimah also criticised a school which reportedly barred a group of students from participating in its Hari Raya celebration for wearing kurta instead of Baju Melayu to the event.

The incident was highlighted last week by the Malay daily Kosmo!, which reported that the students were punished for standing at the unnamed school's assembly area and were only allowed to enter their classroom when the food was almost finished.

"Teachers should be celebrating diversity with their students, encouraging them to learn and appreciate one another's cultures, attire and even food.

"The teacher who reprimanded the students should be pulled aside and instead be disciplined for the humiliation and for preventing them from enjoying the delicacies brought and maybe even prepared by their classmates," she said.

According to Noor Azimah, schools should instead take the festive seasons to embrace the way of life of all Malaysians. - Mkini