A Year 5 pupil is now classified as a person with disabilities (PwD) following a severe heatstroke incident on April 30, where he was forced by a teacher to stand in the sun for nearly three hours.
‘He is now not normal’
The 11-year-old boy’s condition has drastically changed, affecting his nerves and overall health.
His mother, A.D. Mogahana Selvi, 35, revealed that Ampang Hospital provided a reference letter for her son to be officially assessed as a PwD due to the lasting health issues he now faces.
To be honest, I feel upset when I see my child’s condition as he is now not normal. Previously, he used to play often with his siblings, but now he hides a lot and talks to himself,” she shared.
The hospital advised Mogahana that her son can no longer attend a regular school and must be enrolled in a school for special needs children due to his health condition, reported NST.
‘We want the teacher involved to be charged in court‘
Accompanying her during the press briefing were her 40-year-old husband, B. Suresh, their lawyer Dinesh Muthal, and Malaysia-Singapore Workers Task Force (Pemas) chairman S. Dayalan.
Their lawyer, Dinesh Muthal, announced plans to file a civil suit against those responsible for the incident.
“This incident has caused a lot of stress to the victim’s parents, especially Mogahana who is three months into a pregnancy. They now have to come to terms with the fact that their son will never lead a normal life. Apart from a civil suit, we want the teacher involved to be charged in court and be given an appropriate sentence if found guilty,” he stated.
Criticism of authorities and school response: Unsatisfactory
S. Dayalan criticised the authorities’ investigation and the school’s response to the incident as “unsatisfactory.”
He also highlighted that the school sent three warning letters to the boy’s parents regarding his absence from May 2 to 23, yet never addressed the incident of him being forced to stand in the sun.
The boy was rushed to the hospital after standing in the sun from 10 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.
Ampang Jaya police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Azam Ismail confirmed that the police had completed their investigation and submitted the papers to the deputy public prosecutor for further action.
