Stripped to their underwear and hosed down in the middle of a school field, forced to do hundreds of squats as punishment for chatting, beaten with a broomstick, and slammed on a wall - these were among the alleged abuses school pupils endured over the weekend.
The pupils of a school in Serdang, Selangor, allegedly had to go through this during what was supposed to be a fun motivational camp last week.
According to sources close to the school, the incident happened when some 60 Standard 5 and 6 pupils attended the two-day camp handled by an NGO the school management had engaged.
The NGO does not appear to have any clear online presence, and Malaysiakini was unable to contact them as of writing.
A source, who is a parent of a pupil, told Malaysiakini that parents had paid RM20 for each of the pupils to join the programme which they expected would be beneficial and fun for their children.
"However, to the shock of the parents, their children came back on Sunday looking very weak and many were weeping. Many even had to skip school the next day.
"Only after seeing this that the parents learned what their children had to endure during the camp.
“Their children told them that facilitators - many believed to be university graduates - had subjected them to various physical abuses.
"The children said they were punished even for the slightest mistake of talking to each other with 200 'ketuk-ketampi' squats, or made to squat for tens of minutes," he said.
Boys even had to endure humiliating experiences where they were reportedly forced to 'bathe' at the school field with only their underwear on.
Facilitators then allegedly used a hose to spray them with water, which served as their shower.
Malaysiakini learned that one of the facilitators had held a Standard 5 boy by the neck, slammed him into a wall, slapped him multiple times, and hit him with a broom.
The facilitator had reportedly accused the boy of bringing a vape to the camp, and was allegedly unsatisfied by the victim’s repeated denials during questioning - prompting the physical violence.
Investigation underway
It was understood that several parents including the mother of the assaulted boy had lodged police reports.
Serdang district police chief AA Anbalagan when contacted confirmed that police have received four reports from parents so far.
"Investigations are being carried out under Section 31 of the Child Act," he said, referring to the law that stipulates offences related to “ill-treatment, neglect, abandonment or exposure of children.”
Anbalagan confirmed that the parents' reports had stated the alleged abuses, but said police were still investigating the claims.
No arrest has been made as of yet.
Malaysiakini has contacted the Education Ministry and the school’s principal for comments. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.