KOTA KINABALU: A father took action after discovering a teacher's disrespectful comments about his son, who has disabilities.
The incident occurred when the teacher mistakenly shared the remarks and a photo of TikTok user Fezan Ray's son, referred to as "anak bongkok," in a parent-teacher WhatsApp group.
Expressing disappointment, he said his son Ean was diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder since he was three and attention deficit hyperactivity at six, along with his premature birth and medical procedures.
"I disagree with the way they are demeaning others. We have no choice but to have 'anak syurga' (special child) but they have a choice in choosing this profession (as teachers)," he said.
He pointed out that finding another school with special education curriculum in Sabah was challenging and would have to leave Ean at the same institution.
"For now, Ean will stay at that school as it is not easy to find other schools that provide special education curriculum."
Fezan added that he had also reported the incident to the Education Ministry via an online platform, seeking resolution through official channels.
"After 24 hours of posting it online, the teacher apologised to me... but they also want to settle it privately.
"But I do not want to settle it (that way) as I had referred the case to the Education Ministry," he told the New Straits Times.
He added that the teacher had filed a police report against him in response to the unresolved issue.