Suit against 7-month absent teacher: Education Ministry must investigate and address issue swiftly

The incident of a schoolteacher in Kota Belud who allegedly did not show up for seven months, to the point where his students filed a suit against him is no doubt a bizarre one, but also something which the Education Ministry should pay serious attention to.

ALSO READ: Trials against ‘absent teacher’ begin this month

While waiting for court proceedings, the Education Ministry should launch a thorough investigation and engage with the school authority to get a clearer picture of the incident. This would also answer questions about how the teacher managed to stay absent for so long without any of his peers or superiors confronting him.

Any lapse in administration, monitoring, and enforcement of school rules must be corrected and the education guidelines are updated accordingly.

Also, school authorities could introduce a whistleblower system so that any reports of wrongdoing by students, parents, staff or teachers can be submitted through the correct portal so that actions will be taken swiftly.

Furthermore, teachers can be given an overseer role on a rotational or weekly basis to monitor the attendance of their peers and check whether they are fulfilling their primary duties.

Besides that, those who were aware but remained silent are complicit in the wrongdoing and should be given a stern warning. Otherwise, complaints falling on deaf ears will further provoke the people’s frustration and lead to extreme or external measures such as this ongoing court case.

Hopefully, this incident in Kota Belud will serve as a lesson and reminder to others. I am confident that the Education Ministry will take the necessary actions to regain the community’s confidence in schools as a place of knowledge and accountability.

Ng Sing Phing

MCA Youth Education Consultative Committee chairperson