Comment on Malaysia Newspaper

Some Schools Hiding Discipline Problems

Published on: Monday, December 22, 2003

Kota Kinabalu: Some schools in the State are withholding or sweeping disciplinary problems under the carpet, hoping that the Education Department will not find out.

“They should not do this because the problems, if left unchecked, might recur in more damaging manner that could mar the reputation of the schools concerned,” said Sabah Union of Government Teachers chairman Drs Hamid Abdul Rahmat (pic), Sunday.

He noted that some schools had remained silent on student disciplinary problems. That is why their discipline file, when shown to school inspectors, look thin. “

“On the other hand, there are schools having thick files, but this does not necessarily mean they handle the matter accordingly, he said. ”

Schools in the State are required to submit a disciplinary report to the Education Department every three months. But if they encounter serious problems such as fighting or drug abuse, they have to report them immediately.

Meanwhile, aspiring teachers have been advised to consult the Department prior to deciding which field of education they wish to specialise.

He claimed at least 83 teaching graduates in the south-west coast division, three years after their training, had yet to be given postings.

“Currently, because of national development requirement, the Government gives special emphasis to the teaching of Science, Mathematics and English.

“Therefore, the demand for these disciplines is quite high, he said. ”

There is already an ample supply of teachers opting for History, Geography and Bahasa Malaysia, he said, adding that those those interested in teaching choose the most-sought field, instead of the easy ones.

Hamid also advised those involved to be patient and hope the Education Department would look into their plight, adding the Union would do its best to help the affected graduates.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=23689

In my opinion, all of this situation should not be happen in our country because this is a serious matter. Ministry of Education must solve this problem as soon as possible because it might recur in more damaging manner that could mar the reputation of the schools as well our country reputation.

I understand why some schools in the State are withholding or sweeping disciplinary problems from the Education Department. They might afraid if their clean reputation goes down because of this problem. But it can’t be done like this because this thing is about the discipline matter. It must be overcome with a proper way and the students that are involved in discipline cases must be punished.

I think this issue is still can be prevent because students are still young and we as an adult should not hiding their wrong attitude but we must guide them to be a discipline students. Meaning, we are the role model and we must shows that discipline is very important in our daily life.