'Old school teaching methods don't work'

Though students are exposed
to good values and principles in moral
and religious study classes,
many do not take it seriously.
Pix by MOHD RAFI MAMAT.

THERE are too many school safety issues today that we have never seen before, laments a secondary school principal from Klang, who only wants to be known as Khoo.

“Teachers these days are so afraid to check a student because of fear of backlash. Just last month, a female teacher’s car was vandalised and the tires were punctured because she punished a Form Two student who was arrogant and unruly in class.

“Although I wanted to call his parents in, the teacher was just too terrified that it would aggravate the situation.”

Khoo says while students are taught values and principles in moral and religious study classes, many do not take it seriously.

“They are there just to pass the exams, so there is no real education in that area.

“Back then, our scouts and extracurricular activities were impactful. Children were disciplined and they worked as a team, showing respect to leaders and learning to look after their friends.

“Today, we’ve had so many issues when conducting school camps and overnight activities.

“We’ve seen girls going home crying because they were made fun of by peers, and we’ve had cases of boys bringing cigarettes, alcohol and even drugs to the programmes.”

She says another problem is children bringing laptops and smartphones to class and outdoor activities to share pornographic material with their friends.

Some students even charge their friends a fee to watch the material. Some students allegedly go so far as to try out the pornographic acts.

“We are living in a different era. I constantly advise my teachers to be vigilant.

“Old school teaching methods are not going to work with this generation.

“Students today think they are too smart for the system and can get their parents to bail them out because the parents want to save face with family and friends.”

Source: NST

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