KUALA LUMPUR: A Year Five pupil had to be rushed to hospital after allegedly being punished to stand under the hot sun at his school's field here on April 30.
The victim's mother, identified only as Mogahana, 35, said her 11-year-old son informed her that he and his friend were punished to stand under the sun on the school field from 10am to 12.50pm on the day of the incident.
"My son informed me that he had lodged a complaint with the teacher because another pupil had hit him.
"But the teacher took action by punishing my son to stand under the sun at the school field.
"My son complained to the teacher that he was dizzy (while stood under the sun) but the complaint was ignored," she told Harian Metro today.
After picking him up from school on the day of the incident, her son appeared weak and had no appetite.
"In fact, he asked me to take him to the hospital because he felt sick. As soon as we arrived at the Ampang Hospital, he fainted.
"The doctor who treated him then informed me that he was suffering from heat exhaustion," she said, adding she uploaded a video recording about the incident on Facebook on Thursday.
Mogahana, who is a housewife, said she regretted the actions of the male teacher, whose punishment affected her son's health.
"I am dissatisfied with the actions and explanation given by the teacher in this matter. It is not because my son cannot be punished, but it was excessive to the point of endangering his health.
"Therefore, I urge the relevant parties, including the Education Ministry (MOE), to review the punishments or penalties imposed by teachers on pupils," she said.
Meanwhile, Ampang Jaya district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Azam Ismail said they received a police report lodged by the victim's mother regarding the incident on 30 April.
"A medical examination by the Ampang Hospital found that the victim was suffering from heat exhaustion.
"Investigations found that the suspect, a 37-year-old schoolteacher, had punished the victim and three other pupils to stand for 10 minutes," he said in a statement today.
He said the investigation into the case had been completed and the investigation papers had been referred to the Deputy Public Prosecutor for further action.
"We found a viral video on social media involving the victim's mother and a non-governmental organisation (NGO) expressing dissatisfaction with the handling of the case.
"However, no official complaints have been received from any party regarding the matter so far," he said, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001.