A Form 1 boy recently threatened to take his own life after a “basic computer” test placed him in the last class. Huh?!
According to NST, prior to this, he was placed in the second class in a school at Bukit Mertajam but his father was informed on Friday afternoon (4 January 2019) that his son was removed from his initial class and placed in the last class like suggested in his computer test.
The boy’s father revealed that his son had performed fairly well in his UPSR (Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah) examination in 2018 as the son obtained 3As, 1B and 1C. Therefore, the boy was initially put into the second class for Form 1 students because of his good results. His father was quoted as saying,
“Previously, the teacher at his primary school told us our son would be placed in the top class when he enters this secondary school based on his UPSR results which were quite good.”
“As soon as we registered him in this secondary school, he was placed in the second class. Later on, the management told him to take a basic computer test.”
He further explained that the switch of class disturbed his son so much because the boy was “humiliated and unhappy”.
The father then continued,
“When I picked him up from school yesterday, he looked sad and down. When he told me what happened, he threatened to commit suicide and refused to go to school.”
“He was previously bullied in primary school and this makes him feel bullied again by the school.”
The father added that he wants a detailed explanation from the school about the issue. He also said that he wasn’t aware of the placement test until his son told him about it.
“If this is something important, parents should have been informed during the briefing session and via letter, not spring it suddenly like this,” he said.
True that!
The father wasn’t happy because the school had only repeatedly told him that the computer test was a requirement for all Malaysian schools and they have yet to give a proper explanation on the matter.
They also told him that the UPSR results don’t determine the class placements of students, instead, it’s the computer test that does that.
Adding on, the father revealed that the school told him that they will talk about this matter today (Monday, 7 January 2019). Nevertheless, the father is adamant to send his son to a different school because of the incident.
The father explained,
“He deserves to be in the best class in Form 1 after he worked hard for UPSR, but the opposite happened.”
“I am worried he would do something negative and it would destroy his spirit.”
Following this issue, the boy’s father had lodged a police report and he hopes to get the issue referred to the Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) district education department. NST has also requested a comment from the State Education Department and they revealed that they will investigate the matter. Aside from that, they said they will also get an explanation from the school.
What an unexpected turn of events! Hopefully, this matter will be solved quickly so the boy can peacefully start learning and not feel bullied.
What do you think of this issue? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: MOH: 10% of High School Students in M’sia Have Thought Of Committing Suicide