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Teachers’ mental health in focus after fatal school assaults
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Illustration of police tape closing off a crime scene. (Courtesy of/Shutterstock)
F
ollowing the deaths of several students allegedly resulting from assaults by teachers, experts have called on the government to pay closer attention to educators’ mental health, noting that many are enduring heavy workloads and low wages.
A 14-year-old junior high school student in Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, identified by his initials RSS, reportedly died on Sept. 26 after receiving a harsh punishment from his teacher, SWH, a week earlier. He had been ordered to do 100 squat jumps for failing to complete an assignment.
The victim’s family suspected the punishment took place on Sept. 19 and said RSS began to feel sore the day after, with visible rashes and bruising on his thigh that made him unable to walk. The boy was brought to a nearby hospital the next week when his injuries worsened. He was pronounced dead a day later.
The school has since issued an apology to the victim’s family but said the punishment, though excessive, did not come from ill-intent.
The teacher in question, who is not a permanent employee, has been suspended and is under investigation.
Read also: We adults are the problem
In September, a 13-year-old pesantren (Islamic boarding school) student in Blitar, East Java, identified by the initials MKA reportedly died of a head injury after a teacher threw a wooden plank with nails sticking out of it while disciplining students.
