My mother very powerful

The ‘My parents very important people’ reminds me of the episode of ‘My mother very powerful’ that happened a few months back. It was a boxing round between the MOE and the mother of the boy whose hair was cut by his teacher. It was actually a petty little disagreement that should be put to an end quickly. The whole episode was like the history of Singapore, that grew from a third world country with absolute power in the authority to affluence and the growth of individual or personal rights that is beginning to see how the masses are unable to cope with the rights handed to them. With rights, a little affluence, a little education, the trend is towards abusing this right and power. The schools and authority have been used to exercising their rights in the education system. The abuses of the past are relatively much lesser today as the teachers themselves too are embracing the new liberty and applying lesser oppressive methods in disciplining school children. There will still be the few nut heads that would abuse their position of authority just like those abusers of maids and workers. People with such mentality should not be in the teaching vocation. On the other extremes, the parents should know that the school and the education system have its own regulations and acceptable norms of behavior. Going to school is an implied acceptance to follow the rules and regulations of the schools unless they are oppressive and unreasonable. The MOE should be very clear on what is allowable and what is not. These should be defined clearly and observed by its staff and convey to the parents. The parents and their children should accept and abide by these rules. If the parents and their children cannot accept the rules, simply just quit the schools. The principles and teachers need not have to resort to violence and manhandling of children, which in most cases are naïve, immature and innocence. Talk to the parents about the problems and let the parents decide if they want the child to remain in the school or to find a more suitable school somewhere else. What is the problem? What is so difficult? Teachers no need to pull their hair or get emotionally upset. No need to abuse their authority as guardians of the school children. Parents need not threaten to sue teachers. And if they do, the MOE should put all their resources behind the teachers should there be such a threat to take them to court. But make sure that no teachers abused their authority or crossed the line. Some will of course, as no one knows how sick a normal looking person is until he exposes him/herself. Teachers, lawyers, doctors, all can be sick but waiting for the right moment to show their true selves. What is troubling are the values the children will be imbued with, thinking that they are somebody and can get away with anything they want, because their parents are important or powerful. They can stomp at anyone like cockroaches.