[MalaysiaNews] STU Defends Teachers, Parents In Fatal Ragging Case

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January 29, 2007 15:39 PM

KUCHING, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak Teachers Union (STU) came to the defence of teachers and parents in the death of a Form Four student believed to be the victim of ragging at Sekolah Menengah Teknik Bintulu last Saturday.

STU president William Ghani Bina said this was because the students believed to be involved in the ragging were mature enough to be aware of the capital punishment for murder in this country.

"This is not the time for us to point our fingers at the school or parents as the students involved are already mature, and murder is not an act of a good human being," he said when contacted by Bernama Monday.

He was commenting on the death of Matheus Mering Augus, 16, of SM Teknik Bintulu who was found unconscious in his hostel room and pronounced dead on arrival at Bintulu Hospital at 5.30pm on Saturday.

William Ghani said although the caring spirit was nurtured in schools and at home, some students overstepped the limits of ragging due to negative influence from outside.

He said the Education Ministry had introduced a lot of positive measures to produce a noble generation including the proposal to set up the main committee to address school issues which were discussed last week.

Expressing his shock over the incident, he said the death of a student due to ragging in Sarawak was a remote incident.

"This is the first time I heard that a student was killed in school in Sarawak," he said, denying there had been cases where principals or headmasters concealed criminal offences involving their students.

Metheus who joined SM Teknik Bintulu from another school on Jan 22, took part in an orientation programme and stayed at the school hostel.

--BERNAMA