KLANG: The Education Ministry has expressed regret over an incident where a 49-year-old primary school teacher had allegedly threw hot water on her principal and assaulted him in full view of pupils on Friday morning.
The teacher, based in a school near Lebaan in Sibu, Sarawak, has been arrested and remanded to be investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said he was disappointed with the action of the teacher who was involved in a quarrel with the 40-year-old school principal and then splashed hot water on him.
“The ministry is very disheartened by such actions of the teacher and are awaiting the full report from the police investigation before taking any action. Teachers should be examples to students and when cases like this happen, it casts a shadow on the hundreds of thousands of good teachers and that is a very sad fact.
“I urge teachers to always follow the law and use proper methods to channel their grievances instead of taking the law into their hands,” he said in a text message today.
Sibu district police chief Assistant Commissioner Saiful Bahri Abdullah was quoted as saying that the incident took place when the principal was on his rounds to check on teachers during lessons.
It was reported that the principal was accused by the teacher that his actions meant he did not trust her.
An argument broke out and the teacher chased the principal out of the class in front of the pupils.
Saiful said as the teacher was holding a glass of hot water, she splashed it on him and it scalded his arm and back.
She also tried to kick him but the principal managed to avoid it.
The teacher was arrested when she was summoned by the police following a report made by the principal.
Initial investigations showed that the teacher had several occasions allegedly assaulted a former headmaster of the school where reports were also made against her.