Most cases of teachers being sued in major urban areas: NUTP

KUALA LUMPUR: Cases of teachers being sued by parents mostly take place in major urban areas, but they are very isolated, said National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Kamarozaman Abd Razak.
He said NUTP only recorded less than one per cent of such cases among its 200,000 members from the overall 430,000 teachers nationwide.
"For example, there are about 3,000 teachers in my district in Pahang, no case been taken to court. The cases mostly involved large and developed urban areas.
"The parents are seen to be over-protective and listen to the advise of lawyers who are often business-oriented, merely to reap profits rather than to help the development of the school and students," he said when contacted by Bernama here today.
Yesterday, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the ministry gave its assurance to protect teachers if they were sued by parents but hoped legal action would be the last resort of parents because any problem could be solved via internal discussions.
Kamarozaman explained that the appointments of teachers were made via the standard operation procedure and the stipulated qualifications, other than subjected to the laws like other Malaysian citizens.
"Despite facing numerous antics of students, as professionals they will continue to educate. Except sometimes, their actions are misinterpreted as abuse by a small number of parents," he said.
Kamarozaman drew attention that generally relations between parents and teachers were cordial, especially after the introduction of the Parents and School Tool Kits, namely, a programme planned by the ministry to involve parents in programmes organised by schools.
"Through the programme parents can enter schools, can be involved in programmes conducted by schools with their children, and if there is grievance, parents will also be involved in seeking solutions," he said.
In the meantime, he also lauded the announcement by Mahdzir and described it as a positive development for teachers and boosted their spirit to serve without pressures outside of duties.
"This is a protection ... congratulations to the minister because it is a good follow up measure as we have long discussed this matter with the minister," he said.
He said teachers who were sued could refer to their unions, Education Ministry legal advisers or their respective district education office. — Bernama