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KUALA LUMPUR – The father of a student who was allegedly punished for not wearing proper school shoes has came forward, stating that he was repeatedly denied from inquiring about his daughter’s incident.
In a press conference with DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng in Penang, Mogan Ramalingam disclosed that his efforts to gain more insight into the incident were consistently shut down by the teacher, and he was told to withdraw his police report.
@guanenglim Sidang Akhbar dengan Encik Mogan A/L Ramalingam malam tadi di Pusat Khidmat Ahli Parlimen Bagan, Pulau Pinang.
♬ original sound - Lim Guan Eng
“I called the teacher and asked what happened during the assembly. But the teacher kept mum and ended my phone calls,” he said during the press conference, which was posted on TikTok.
“If she was innocent, she’d have no problem discussing or explaining the situation, but she constantly avoided me,” he added.
Subsequently, Mogan contacted the district education office about the incident, where they allegedly instructed him not to lodge a report with the police and suggested settling the issue with them, to which he didn’t comply.
He added that the school called him the next day to discuss the matter, where they purportedly attempted to convince him to retract his report.
“They tried to convince me to withdraw my report,” he said.
“I said I can do it, but the teacher has to publicly admit what she has done,” he added.
According to Mogan, the teacher then denied being within his daughter’s vicinity when the alleged punishment happened,
Nonetheless, he believes her alibi was orchestrated to conceal her involvement.
Mogan informed the press that prior to the incident, he had already called the same teacher and informed her of his daughter’s situation.
He said that the teacher was made aware that the daughter just transferred to the school three weeks ago after they moved from Padang Serai to Tasek Gelugor, and that he would purchase new school shoes for her in the near future.
After the incident, Mogan shared that his daughter went through immense shame and pressure following the alleged punishment.
“My daughter felt depressed (after being punished). How can such a thing happen?
“Other schools allow wearing kayiru (holy string), the sacred ash, and the pottu (black dot).
“Is there a new rule that we aren’t allowed to wear these?” he added.
Mogan concluded his statement by requesting the Education Ministry to take stern action on the matter, as it involves religion.
Guan Eng added that the student was a stellar individual, having excelled in her co-curriculum and was a head prefect during her primary school years.
The Form 1 student was allegedly punished by a teacher for not wearing laced shoes at a school in Tasek Gelugor, where she was forced to kneel with her hands raised up during an assembly.
Her kayiru was also allegedly cut, and holy ash was removed from her forehead.
Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy instructed the police to investigate this incident, which he calls a “barbaric treatment” and “religious persecution” while Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow chimed in, urging education authorities to take appropriate action.
Penang police are currently investigating this case, adding that initial witnesses’ statements claim that they did not see the student being punished by kneeling during the assembly. – The Vibes, November 4, 2022