Teacher makes students eat paper

 CEBU, Philippines - An “Outstanding Teacher” of the Paknaan National High School in Mandaue city is now in hot water after she was accused by her students of letting them eat paper after they did not make what she told them to do.

Josephine Babatuan, school principal, said the incident happened last September 5 yet but it was only reported to her last September 10 .

Upon learning of the incident, Babatuan said she immediately called the attention of the said teacher who was handling Math subject for Fourth year students during the time of incident.

The teacher, in her explanation to the principal, said that she told her students to do a seatwork while she went out for a while to get her medicine in another room as she was suffering from high blood pressure.

However, when she came back, instead of doing their seatwork, the class was so noisy and most of the students were not doing their seatwork. This reportedly made her upset.

This prompted the teacher to let her students eat their papers but Babatuan said the teacher denied making them swallow it.

However, one of the students, in a TV interview, said that the teacher ordered them to swallow their paper in a span of 10 minutes but since she did not do what the teacher wanted, she alleged that the teacher took a mono-bloc chair and attempted to throw it towards her.

Babatuan added that the teacher admitted her fault but denied letting them swallow the paper after the students alleged that they suffered diarrhea after they were ordered to eat their papers.

In fact, after the teacher felt that what she did was wrong, she immediately asked for forgiveness from her class.

Babatuan said that since the teacher’s act is not a constructive kind of disciplining the students, she endorsed the incident to the DepEd Division Office for investigation.

 Benjamin Tiongzon,the administrative officer of DepEd Mandaue City Division said that a preliminary investigation was conducted last Wednesday against the teacher by the grievance committee where he is a member .

During the investigation, the teacher personally asked for forgiveness and was remorseful for what she did.

Tiongzon said that one of the parents vehemently refused to accept her apology and told the committee that she already filed a case against the teacher before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas who then referred them to the Commision on Human Rights to provide them with legal assistance.

Tiongzon said that since the case was already filed before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas, they will just wait for the resolution of the case as they do not want to pre-empt and be charged with forum shopping.

However, the administrative officer appealed not to name the teacher since it is stipulated under R.A 4670 the Magna Carta for Teachers wherein section 8 states that “Trial by publicity, shall not be given to a teacher during the pendency of the case that she is facing”.

He said that the teacher will continue teaching as DepEd  will just wait for the order of the anti-graft office whether to put her under preventive suspension while the case is being heard.

It was learned from Babatuan that the teacher did not report for work yesterday and went on a sick leave but she submitted a written statement admitting her fault.

Babatuan also said that in order for the students not to be traumatized by the incident, she had the teacher transferred to another class and another teacher is now assigned to handle the math subject of the affected students.

It was also learned that the teacher is considered an A-1 teacher and has been awarded four times as “Most Outstanding Teacher” in Mandaue City. — /MIT (FREEMAN)