'Hate-Indian' attitude in Malaysian schools

{image-malaysian schools_22082008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Kuala Lumpur, Aug 22: Indian children in Malaysia are facing the wrath for no reason. Their only fault is that they are 'Indians'. From past one year, incidents of school teachers physically and verbally abusing students of Indian origin have been on the rise in Malaysia, and in some instances, teachers even called the Indian students by derogatory names.

A 'hate- Indian' attitude has been developed by the Malaysian teachers towards Indian students after the transfer of a school teacher from a secondary school in Banting, who is now facing an inquiry after she admitted to have leveled racial slurs against Indian students. Parents of the abused children have lodged police reports since November last year alleging that as many as five school teachers had physically and verbally abused Indian students.

R Sathasnam (52) said "Me and another parent had complained to the school's administration repeatedly, but the abuses still continue. The five teachers regularly hit the students and ask them to get a transfer out of the school, as they (the teachers) were 'fed-up of seeing their faces'. One of the teachers called some Indian students by derogatory names."

He alleged that many Indian students were slapped, kicked, punched and caned by these teachers for misdemeanours such as talking while lining-up to enter the classroom.

"My 10-year-old son was lifted-up by the ears by a male teacher and slapped and kicked for talking before entering the classroom after recess in February," staronline.com quoted Sathasnam as saying.

He claimed his son's ears turned blue-black and his cheeks swelled after the beating. When he rushed his son to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, the doctor there advised him to file a police report. Another parent R Viganaspary, 40, said her son was repeatedly hit on the head with a rolled-up newspaper and caned on the legs for not having a particular exercise book.

Meanwhile, Coalition of Malaysian Indian NGOs secretary Gunaraj George, who met Sathasnam and Viganaspary recently, said the coalition would present a memorandum on the matter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi soon. "These are young impressionable children and the alleged incidents will only teach them to hate," he said.

Malaysian Deputy Minister and Senator T Murugiah promised to look into these cases and speak to the principal next week when school reopens. Deputy Education Minister Dr Wee Ka Siong also said that he would comment only after he had seen copies of the police reports.

ANI