PLAYING TRUANT CUTTING CLASSES OR RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME Truancy or running away from home comes under

the behavioral disorder of an act of delinquency, which is almost as bad as lying or stealing. Fortunately in India the problem has yet not achieved the proportions that it has done in the United States, though cases of truancy are more frequent than actually running away from home. But as they say prevention is better than cure and it is always better to nip the problem in the bud.

Research reveals that the parents are normally the cause children playing truant in very wealthy families. Children are most at risk in families where money is given too much importance or where parents have no the time to inculcate the right values. Children are also of the impression that money comes in easily and that money can buy them everything in life. So why bother with school. Let us take the example of fifteen-year old Naveen who hailed from a very rich family in Gujarat. He was not at all interested in school and would keep on doing badly in class. He was pulled up a couple of times by his teachers and as a result began to hate going school. Soon he started skipping classes on the slightest pretext. When his parents forcibly sent him to school, he found a way to pretend he was at school. When his parents finally caught on to his truant behavior, they punished him by taking him out of school and making him join the family business. He realised his loss only much later in life when he found that the lowliest clerk in the company was more educated than he was and that he could not even hope to expand his business due to his lack of education.

Whereas parents are the cause of truancy in the upper strata of society, it is the schools that are to blame for truancy and dropouts in the lower strata. Often a child from a poor family may not be able to afford all the equipment required by the school, like a compass box or paint box and extra uniforms and tends to come under constant scrutiny. He then begins to feel ashamed and conscious that he can not afford the good things like the other children and tries to avoid them, the

teachers and school on the whole. After this it is very difficult for him to concentrate on his studies and he becomes a drop out.

Some children basically find it difficult to sit in one place and concentrate for six hours a day, with only a few short breaks. They tend to get shifty and restless and generally end up getting punished by the teacher. At this point the teacher should be aware of what is really happening and try to make the class more interesting. Instead what normally happens is that the child gets constantly punished. He will try to avoid that particular class until he ultimately begins to bunk school entirely.

This is a very grave situation because the childs parents are under the wrong impression that the child is at school. He may actually be roaming the streets where he could be prey to gamblers, drug peddlers and other anti-social elements. These interactions, which initially start as friends to "hang-out" with while cutting school, could actually lead to serious problems such as drug abuse and addition, gambling or even visiting commercial sex workers. It is therefore extremely important for parents to be constantly in touch with the teachers about the childs progress to avoid such situations and save a young life from being ruined.

But an even graver situation arises when the child actually runs away from home due to pressures or disharmony of any kind. Very often a child might feel extremely lonely or misunderstood and may have no close relative or friend in whom he can confide in. And when the pain becomes intolerable he might finally just get up and run away without caring about the consequences. Take the case of twelve year old Mishal, whose parents were too involved in their own lives and never really cared for him. Mishal had a sister 10 years older than him. Despite the age difference, he was very close to her. But soon a time came when she got married and moved to a different city, Pune. After her marriage Mishal was completely broken. He was living in the house and under the same roof with his parents, but with little or no communication between them. Mishal was

extremely lonely and depressed. He lost interest in his studies, and life in general. One day, Mishal just packed a few clothes and ran off. To Pune, to his sisters house. He felt she was the only one in the family who really understood him and who cared for him. The parents were in a state of shock when they discovered he had run away. He didnt see any reason for his behaviors, because they felt they were providing him with the latest and most expensive games, giving him big sums for pocket money and allowing him to do whatever he wanted. What they didnt realize was that he craved for their attention. Given the intense social pressures of today, it is important that parents and teachers wore together to help children grow into happy, well-adjusted human beings. Teacher should be well trained in the basics of child guidance. Parents from their side should provide a harmonious atmosphere and emotional security for their children. This is the only way to delinquency acts and other behavioral disorders can be prevented.

Ministry: We don't condone bullying in schools

T.K. LETCHUMY TAMBOO Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 11:30:00

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry rebutted criticism of the ministry not doing enough on bullying cases in schools. Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (pic) reiterated the ministry always had zero tolerance when it came to bullying, especially cases which involve injury. He was responding to criticism by non-governmental organisations and the public that the ministry's punishment against bullies were light, especially in relation to the recent case of 13year-old Wong who was slapped, hit on the head with books, choked with a tie and had her hair cut by her schoolmates. The victim's woes came to light after a three-minute video clip showing the torment she went through was filmed and downloaded on Facebook. One reader of The Malay Mail, using the pseudonym Justice Crusader, also criticised the ministry for its so-called 'lack of action'. In our Letters and Opinion on May 16, the reader was disappointed bullies got away with a 14-day suspension. He asked what would constitute as 'serious injury' under the ministry's guidelines/ policies and called on the ministry to send a strong message to potential bullies. "We take seriously bullying cases in schools. It all depends on the seriousness of the case. It is also not the case of non-action. We never compromise on bullying and assure the public we will be strict on bullies," said Dr Mohd Puad.

He reiterated actions could be taken against bullies ranging from suspension to the more severe punishment of expulsion. "If injury inflicted on the victim was serious and if the victim's parents lodge a police report, then the cops will take over." At the same time, Dr Mohd Puad advised teachers to play their role in tackling bullying in schools by creating awareness among students. "Talk about the subject with them and let students know about the issue and ways to tackle it. In fact, teachers can also monitor students' behaviour because most victims are afraid to report to the relevant authorities." It was reported on May 11 that the four female bullies of Wong were suspended from classes for a fortnight. Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong ruled out expulsion as punishment for the bullies as he did not want to jeopardise their future saying they deserved a second chance.

TUESD AY, M AY 10, 2011 http://worldandthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/05/school-bullying-inmalaysia.html School bullying in Malaysia

Why does bullying happen? For so many years I've read about bullying happening in schools. Not only in Western countries, but also Asian ones. I vaguely recall about a fat Japanese girl who committed suicide because she couldn't bear the taunting of her classmates. Same thing here in Malaysia. But we're good at keeping things under wraps. Not until someone (thankfully) uploaded a video on Youtube showing a girl having to endure the harrowing experience of being strangled with a tie, hit with books, being pulled and having her hair deliberately cut off by a bunch of bullies. The incident was said to occur at SMK Raja Abdullah, a secondary school which was already notorious during MY schooldays. I was also once a victim of a minor bullying in school back then. I didn't mean to brag, but it definitely was jealousy amongst my bullies that caused them to treat me differently. The difference between the victim in the latest school bullying case and me was I had an upperhand as a school prefect AND being outspoken. I fought back, brought the matter to the disciplinary teacher and inserted the names of the bullies in the school's black book (all I needed was just 3 insertions, and they would be suspended from school or even expelled). Yes, I exercised the authority that was given to me to the extent that some might say it was a misuse of power. Although later they apologised (whether it was genuine or not), I accepted it on the forefront and became pal-ly, but continued to push them to the brink of collapse by reporting back to the disciplinary board confidential matters committed by the bullies (things that they did which were obviously against the school rules and regulations).

It's called revenge. I admit it was an evil act on my part, but what's hypocrisy in relative to the disgusting and low level exhibited by my bullies? Even now as an adult, I didn't regret my action. However, my qualification in this whole thing is you have to know who your bullies are and what they are capable of, and also to assess what YOU as the victim can do to retaliate. Don't do what I did just because I did it. Few reasons why I think bullies do what they did: 1. They feel insecure, so they have to prove something to the society, hence hand-picking someone weaker. Or they feel they are better than everyone, and it has to be evidenced. 2. They think it's cool to command attention by doing bad things. All mean queens in school have to do something to prove they are important. If they can't command that attention, they'll do whatever it takes to garner it. Similarly I don't understand about children misbehaving in school just to get the parents' attention. IT DOES NOT WORK. It only shows stupidity, and no one should stoop that low. Talk about no dignity. 3. They have no regard for people's feelings. People? What people? Those horrid SMK Raja Abdullah kids should not only punished with therapy, rehabiliation and disciplinary action from the school; they should be legally prosecuted for assault. Apology and monetary compensation (if any)? Hah. NOT ENOUGH. After scarring the girl's life like that, a mere "I'm sorry" washes away nothing. This leads me to another point. Parents should be on the lookout for their children, both the bully and the victim. Never would I have thought that there are parents out there who are not aware of their children being fed with zero moral. And when matters are brought to the attention of the bullies' parents, they should

not defend their children no matter how emotionally compelled they are to do so. As parents, it is their duty to ensure that their children are properly brought up. In the recent bullying case, the bullies' parents have failed them. They have failed to educate their own flesh and blood to understand the basic courtesy in society, and to treat people with respect. Perhaps the law should cater for punishing the parents. It doesn't matter that the children spend more time in school (and hence naturally the teachers must bear the responsibility), the point is proper manners should start from home. Parents have the responsibility to nurture their children. I remember seeing my bullies' parents during our school open day, and felt much hatred towards them because they couldn't bring up their own kids. Shame on them! Being a parent is not just a gift; it comes with responsibility. If being a parent is because of the joy of spreading the legs to get pregnant, then that individual should consider birth prevention methods. Children should be nipped in the bud, lest they will grow up to be monsters. Bullying should be taken seriously. Let this be a wake-up call for everyone.
POSTED BY W ANSHIN AT 10:59:00 AM LABELS: AWARENESS