IPOH: A six-year-old boy has been allegedly abused by his preschool teacher for nearly four months.
The boy’s single mother claimed that he suffered not only bruises to his body, but also sustained soft tissue injury to his hand due to the constant physical abuse at a government preschool in Jelapang near here.
Aiza Salzul Hanira Zulkapli, 42, a former civil servant, said she had lodged three police reports against the female teacher, but no action has yet to be taken by the school.
The abuse, she claimed, ranged from pinching to caning to hitting her son’s head.
Aiza said she noticed her son’s ears turned red on Sept 9 last year, and her son told her that the teacher had pinched his ears.
“The following day, my son told me he was pinched and caned by the same teacher, and I found bruises on his rib area.
“My son also sustained bruises on his right hip, and he told me that he was hit daily on the head by the teacher.
“On Sept 12, I lodged a report against the teacher with the public complaints management system (Sispaa), and the next day I also informed the school’s head over the matter, who had promised to look into the matter,” she told a press conference here yesterday, where she provided documents ranging from police to medical reports.
Aiza said that not only was no action taken against the teacher, but the teacher started picking on her son even more after her report with Sispaa, with her son telling her that the teacher continued to cane and hit his head daily and would punish him for the slightest mistake.
“My son started becoming scared of going to school, he is traumatised, and I had to seek a child psychiatrist evaluation.
“My son was taken to Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun for evaluation, where on Dec 12, the doctor confirmed my son had suffered from soft tissue injury.
“The teacher also did not allow my son to drink or eat in school, and had even flung his water bottle into a drain.
“The other teachers and the headmaster are also not doing anything, and have been siding with this teacher,” she claimed.
Aiza said when school session reopens next month, her son will be going to Year One at a different school.
“However, I want justice and for action to be taken against the teacher so that she does not continue to do the same thing to other students.
“On Dec 12, I did receive a letter from the police stating that they are investigating the case under Section 323 of the Penal Code, but that was nearly a month ago,” she added.
When contacted, Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad confirmed receiving the three police reports.
He said at about 1.15pm Dec 14, the Ipoh District Police headquarters confirmed receiving a report from the woman.
“Based on preliminary investigations, the complainant stated that she saw what is believed to be bruising on the victim’s right hand and was informed by her son that the teacher had hit him.
“The victim was taken to the hospital, and further examination confirmed that the victim sustained ‘soft tissue injury over bilateral palm’,” he said in a statement yesterday, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt.
“The investigation paper has been referred to the state prosecutor’s office for further action, and we are waiting for further instructions.”
