need help - where can i complain about a school

[carteki]

May I know where are you from OP ?

Please note that this is not passing any judgement on what has been said / done, please remember that this is Singapore, not your home country. To a large extent the rules in your home country don't apply here and you'll probably find more people on this board sympathetic with the teacher who has the gumption to discipline, rather than let them run riot as does happen in other countries. I suspect that you'll struggle to find anything that you can do legally as well.

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

carteki, your post suggests there is a binary choice ~ either we have teachers with the gumption to discipline or students running riot. It is of course possible to successfully punish children without physical force. The bigger issue is the school blaming the child and not working to resolve the issue.

[sundaymorningstaple]

The bigger issue is the school blaming the child and not working to resolve the issue.

We don't know that either. We've only heard one side of the story. You seem to be accepting it as the gospel.

[Mad Scientist]

May I know where are you from OP ?

Please note that this is not passing any judgement on what has been said / done, please remember that this is Singapore, not your home country. To a large extent the rules in your home country don't apply here and you'll probably find more people on this board sympathetic with the teacher who has the gumption to discipline, rather than let them run riot as does happen in other countries. I suspect that you'll struggle to find anything that you can do legally as well.

Kim

Not sure what the above meant or was it directing to me or the OP.
My question is only to understand if she coming from certain countries whereby the education system differs quite significantly .

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

The bigger issue is the school blaming the child and not working to resolve the issue.

We don't know that either. We've only heard one side of the story. You seem to be accepting it as the gospel.

I do accept that the school said "your child must have done something to make the teacher angry" as the OP said, which not only puts the blame on the child, but justifies the teacher's reaction.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Fair enough, but I would have to still wonder if the statement was a "quote" or paraphrase of what she thought she heard. Like I said, we really need both sides before we can condemn either side. Is the posters 1st language English? Mandarin? German? And the teacher's first language? Just because it is an International School we don't know the ethnic make up of that school's teachers either...... I'm finished here as we are just nitpicking now.

[boffenl]

You can complain to the Council for Private Education (unless the school your kid attends is not accredited by them--some of the larger International Schools escaped regulation):

Council for Private Education

2 Bukit Merah Central
#01-05
Singapore 159835
Tel: (65) 6499 0300
Fax: (65) 6275 1396
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.cpe.gov.sg
CPE Student Services Centre

1 Orchard Road (YMCA International House), #01-01
Singapore 238824
Nearest MRT: Dhoby Ghaut (Exit A) Map Tel: (65) 6592 2108
Fax: (65) 6337 1584
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.cpe.gov.sg


Opening Hours Monday – Friday 8.30 am – 6.00 pm
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.



Opening Hours
Monday – Friday 9.30 am – 6.00 pm
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

[sundaymorningstaple]

^^^^
+1

We have just learned something new today! Thanks boffenl!

My links page has also been updated under the International Schools heading.

OP, there's you answer.

[boffenl]

Not sure if they've received very many complaints about K-12 International Schools, but it's a government body so at least the OP would feel like someone other than the headmaster would listen.

Good luck!

[carteki]

Not sure what the above meant or was it directing to me or the OP.
My question is only to understand if she coming from certain countries whereby the education system differs quite significantly .

Apologies my bad for being unclear. I was trying to pass on the same sentiment to the OP as you.

[trekstor1]

You can complain to the Council for Private Education (unless the school your kid attends is not accredited by them--some of the larger International Schools escaped regulation):

Council for Private Education

2 Bukit Merah Central
#01-05
Singapore 159835
Tel: (65) 6499 0300
Fax: (65) 6275 1396
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.cpe.gov.sg
CPE Student Services Centre

1 Orchard Road (YMCA International House), #01-01
Singapore 238824
Nearest MRT: Dhoby Ghaut (Exit A) Map Tel: (65) 6592 2108
Fax: (65) 6337 1584
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.cpe.gov.sg


Opening Hours Monday – Friday 8.30 am – 6.00 pm
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.



Opening Hours
Monday – Friday 9.30 am – 6.00 pm
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Many many thanks.
I will check them out and update here.

[trekstor1]

Many thanks for the comments and advice.
They are really useful.

While in the process looking for new school, I will contact the organization advised here. Not sure if I will take the legal action, as I m only looking for certain peace of mind until we get new school.

Today, I did take my time off and went to see the head master. Having met her myself, I can only confirm my decision to take your advice for moving to new school is the best. And also I can understand why my son had such terrifying experience after going through the session.

While I was trying to find out how can fingers be understood as a gun, I.e. aiming gesture, bang sound. Rather than trying to work on the fact, she simply brushed it off, saying that my son was saying sorry when he came down last Friday. And that sorry was enough as his admission of doing the whole thing. (and no, she didn't ask for detail from the kid)

That is a complete mis-conception of our culture (we are Asian, non native English; my son's English is 90% native, as we stayed in Europe until he was 4 yo and he is in int'l school back home).

As our asian cultures are apologetic in nature, I was the one telling him to say 'sorry' first in the case that he accidentally run into someone, regardless of whose fault it is.

Doing so made him mis understood. And the head master used it as his confession and kept repeating the point...

At the end, we got my son into the room having him role playing on exactly what he did "playing with the fingers" in front of the head master. It was two hands together fiddling from little fingers up to index fingers, with the thumps pointing up, amd repeated the motion up and down. If the frame pauses at the top bit, it could be mistaken as "look like a gun" but with quite a bit of imagination needed. No raising and aiming gesture and no bang sound made. The boy is confirmed in the presence of the head master.

The later part was where my patience ended, as the head master was trying to put the words the boy mouth saying that "but, yesterday you were saying that you are sorry for making your fingers at ms xxx as if it was a gun. Right?"

So I cut in and said "that was enough."

... Sorry got a plane to catch... Will come back to update later

[trekstor1]

Back for an update.
Case solved.

First, we had our story documented at the police station. Many thanks to the Singapore Police for being so understanding and helpful. After listening to my son story (in the interogation room), the officer even offerred to come to the School to look and question the teachers - in which the teachers will have to stay with the truth and cannot avoid certain questions.

We asked the police to hold on, just wanted to have our story listened and documented without wanting to cause anyone trouble.

Interestingly, no further incident afterwards up to the last day.

Now, we escaped to the new school, which is completely different experience. All very positive with the new school.

Felt so bad for my son that we had put him through the experience with such terrible school and lack of inter-cultural attitude from teachers and management.

So long.

[scarbowl]

The teacher should be fired, his hands do not belong on your son in this context, handful or not. The school has a toxic culture if they tried to imply the teacher's over-reaction was a result of your child's behavior. Ask the headmaster who the supervisor is and proceed, but do so knowing you'll probably poison tis well and be labeled a troublemaker. Sad, but true.

All actions heresay until confirmed. Mother did not witness the incident. Also, the tendency is for the parent to understate the child's behaviour and overstate the presumed offender.

Perhaps it was out of line. But don't assume the "teacher should be fired." You don't know the real story.

[x9200]

Why not to assume this? Just because people opinions can be biased does not mean every story is biased. If you try to be that objective you should not make the assumptions you made. You MAY not know the real story neither.