Vandalism: Secondary school students should be punished with community service work, says CAP

 

This screengrab from a viral video, shows students allegedly damaging a school’s properties in Penang, recently.

GEORGE TOWN: The students of a Penang secondary school, caught on viral video vandalising properties on the last day of school on Friday, should be punished with community service.

Consumers Association of Penang education officer N.V. Subbarow said dropping out of school or reporting the matter to the police could destroy their future and their skills.

"Instead, the only way to correct them is through community service.

"CAP is suggesting they be punished by doing some form of community service," he told the New Straits Times today.

It was reported that a group of secondary school students "celebrated" the last day of school on Friday by damaging school equipment and facilities.

In a video that went viral on social media, the students are seen kicking and breaking the door and damaging some chairs. They were also seen breaking the fan and laughing.

It is understood that the students are fifth-formers.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek had said the authorities had initiated a probe into the incident and that the boys in the viral video, along with their parents, had been called in by the school.

Elaborating, Subbarow said vandalising school properties was a form of violence.

He said the parents of the concerned students should bear the responsibility for this act, which had created an ugliness and a black spot in the education sector.

"The parents of the concerned students should bear the entire cost of the damaged school materials.

"Instead of expelling students who vandalise classrooms, they must repair the damaged items at their parents' expense," he added.

Meanwhile, Subbarow said one of the reasons for the students' actions was a result of watching violent Tamil movies.

"When watching the video of the students vandalising the classroom of the school, there was no anger among the people. Instead, they did it out of joy.

"Neither teachers nor non-governmental organisations (NGO) told them to do such an act.

"This violence looks like a scene from a Tamil movie. Violent Tamil movies have taught them such insolence," he said, adding that such an act had brought about shame among other language-school teachers and students. - NST