SINGAPORE – A teacher at Gongshang Primary School has been relieved of her duties following complaints from parents about her disciplining methods.
Parents complained that the female teacher from the school in Tampines had resorted to abusive punishment of her pupils during lessons, TODAY reported.
Media reports note that the complaints about the math and science teacher started in early March.
One pupil recounted having to kneel beside the teacher’s table, while others have had things thrown at them.
According to one parent, Ms Karen Tan, her son together with his classmates, had been called “a bunch of retarded monkeys”, when the pupils had forgotten to bring their textbooks to class.
Ms Tan added that her son, who has high myopia, had to constantly walk closer to the whiteboard during lessons, to which the teacher chided him for it.
She apparently said: “Too bad you can’t see. Go get new spectacles.”
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Ms Tan revealed that in another incident, a playful pupil was made to sit on the floor beside the teacher. The teacher then allegedly flung a whiteboard marker at the boy’s head in a fit of anger.
As the incidents came to light, parents raised the matter to the pupils’ form teacher in March. The science head of department was also informed about the situation in April, TODAY reported.
The complaints may have been filed, but the pupils’ troubles were not over.
According to Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao, the teacher told the class that she knew the identities of the pupils who complained about her.
Frightened, the pupils begged their parents not to pursue the matter, Wanbao added.
According to Wanbao, the parents pointed out that the teacher may have had difficulty coping with a large class of 40, which also comprised some pupils with special needs.
While the Ministry of Education is currently investigating the matter, some parents told Wanbao that they just wanted the teacher to admit her mistakes and refrain from such teaching methods.
They added that there was no need for her to be fired.
debwong@sph.com.sg
