.png)
When I was a primary student back in the 80s, I had several teachers in my school who smoked like chimneys. They’d smoke before school, after school and during school. Sometimes they’d walk into classrooms, smelling like an ashtray.
Even when students approach them at the staff room, their breath would have a strong tobacco stench.
When I went to secondary school in a different state, things did not change much. There were still a handful of teachers who had no qualms smoking at school. Some of them did so while hiding behind old huge trees at the school field, while some did not even bother to hide their filthy habits.
My experience with teachers who smoke not only did not end there, instead it took a different turn when I pursued my education in the early 90s. During classes at a local college, my lecturer would give us work to do before heading out to the stairways for a quick puff.
Sometimes, he’d be accompanied by students who also needed to satisfy their nicotine addiction.
As a young teenager who was barely 18 at that time, I used to join them at the stairways. I used to be amazed at the random conversations that would pop up during those cigarette breaks.
And then one day, while I was sitting on the staircase, listening to the smokers’ conversations, my lecturer asked me if I had ever tried smoking. When I said no, he took a puff before passing me the rest of his cigarette.
I looked at him and smiled. I thought it was so cool having a lecturer teaching me how to smoke, so I grabbed the cigarette from his hand and took a puff. That was my first experience smoking.
I must admit that I am very relieved that I did not enjoy my experience with cigarettes that much and smoking never did become a habit – but in the following years since my first few attempts smoking under the guidance of my lecturer, my perception of him changed.
While I first saw him as a cool dude who was eager to expose me with new experiences, I later realised how irresponsible he was.
Shopping for cigarettes during school
When I became a mother many years later, I was very thankful to know that schools started having strict policies against people smoking within school premises.
With many news about students caught smoking having to face suspensions and disciplinary actions, I was quite relieved thinking that school management was doing its absolute best to say no to smoking - unlike my experiences in the old days.
Unfortunately, I could not be more wrong.
I remember the first incident when I bumped into a teacher who was smoking on the school premise during school hours. One of my children had forgotten her water bottle and I had to make a trip to the school to pass it to her.
As usual, I had to register at the school guardhouse before being allowed to walk up to my daughter’s class. When I stepped into the guardhouse, I saw the guard and a teacher smoking together.
Upon noticing me, they both hid their cigarettes. While the guard attended to me, the teacher turned around and refused eye contact. I can tell he was embarrassed to be caught smoking.
Unfortunately, his embarrassment did not deter him from continuing the filthy habit. A few weeks later, I bumped into him at a store nearby the school, trying to purchase cigarettes among other things, during school hours.
This time around, I asked him what he was doing outside during school hours. He smiled nervously before explaining that he was buying several items for the school.
I took the matter to the school, insisting that teachers who smoke inside school premises and during school hours, are breaking school rules. Sadly, the school management decided to do nothing about my report.
Students assaulted by smoker teacher
Recently, a group of primary school students caught their 48-year-old teacher smoking in a school storeroom. Shocked and possibly embarrassed and worried of being reported, the teacher allegedly slapped, punched and hit the students.
Following police reports made by the students’ parents, the teacher has since been reassigned and placed at the education office pending investigation while the students have been placed on leave.
According to the relevant authority, the case is being treated seriously and disciplinary measures will be taken.
As much as I agree that the teacher should be reprimanded for assaulting the students, I cannot help but to wonder if there would have been a disciplinary case at all had the teacher only been caught for smoking.
Honestly, I have yet to come across any news about teachers being suspended for smoking within the school premise during school hours.
The fact is schools and principals tolerate the smoking habits of teachers while enforcing the no smoking rule for the students. And this hypocrisy isn’t anything new.
Now I don’t know about you, but I believe that consistency in rules and regulations is crucial in maintaining a fair and respectful environment within a school. If students are not allowed to smoke on school premises, it's only fair and reasonable that teachers also adhere to the same rule.
This consistency reinforces the message that smoking is not acceptable within the school community, regardless of one's role or position.
Moreover, allowing teachers to smoke on school grounds while prohibiting students from doing so sends a conflicting message and undermines efforts to promote a healthy and smoke-free environment.
After all, if Members of Parliament can be persuaded not to smoke inside the Parliament building in order to put an end to the habit of smoking and vaping among Malaysians, why can't our schools do the same?
So, what do we do?
Well, for a start, I believe schools should start suspending teachers who are caught smoking in the school premises.
But then again, what message are we sending the children if teachers are allowed to smoke outside the premise? Clearly the schools too would jump the gun when students are spotted smoking outside the school!
What do we do then?
Perhaps the best thing to do, would be to consider not hiring any smokers to work in a school environment.
Now, would the education ministry be on board with that?
Fa Abdul is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
