Tantrum-throwing teacher transferred out

PETALING JAYA: The teacher who threw a tantrum during a meeting with colleagues in Kulim, Kedah, has been transferred out of the school.

Two clips of her screaming and scolding her fellow teachers in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Hokkien were making the rounds on social media after the incident on Wednesday.

The angry teacher is seen spitting, banging the table and shouting “your English is lousy, shut up” in the clips.

The Education Ministry said yesterday that it had instructed the Kedah Education Department to transfer the teacher to the Kulim Bandar Baru district education office pending investigations.

“She behaved in an unprofessional manner during a teachers’ mee­ting. The ministry has transferred her to the district office until investigations into why she behaved in that way is complete,” it said.

The ministry said the transfer was aimed at calming the teacher down and to ensure the teaching and learning process at the school was not disrupted.

Teachers and school administrators were reminded to behave professionally, especially when dealing with students, colleagues and the community, it added.

“As civil servants, you must always show a good example and uphold the trust that has been placed onto the profession,” it said.

National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan said the teacher must be given every opportunity to explain herself.

“Please stop sharing the video. The teacher must be allowed to tell her side of the story,” he said.

On another matter, Tan said NUTP has also received complaints from two teachers that they have been asked by the Bagan Datuk district education office in Perak to sign an “Aku Janji” pledge form stating that they will do their best to meet the targets set for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.