Elementary School Teacher in Medan Resigns After Allegedly Hitting 10 Students Over Homework

A teacher in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, has resigned following allegations of physical punishment against 10 students who failed to submit their homework. The teacher, identified by the initial DAL, was reported to the Medan City Education Office (Disdik Kota Medan) by the students' parents. Mujiono, head of the Primary Education Development Division at the Medan Education Office, confirmed the resignation of the contract teacher, stating it was a personal initiative and not forced by the office. "The latest information we received is that the teacher has resigned. Since the incident, we instructed them not to teach and only assign administrative tasks. However, the individual chose to resign and submitted a resignation letter. We did not force them," Mujiono was quoted as saying by detikSumut on Wednesday (2/9). The Medan Education Office had scheduled a mediation session between the school and the parents on Tuesday (1/9), but the meeting did not proceed as the complainants did not attend. "We summoned everyone for mediation, but the parents chose not to come. We called them, telephoned the parents, and even summoned the principal and homeroom teachers, but they still refused to attend," Muji revealed. Despite the mediation failure, Mujiono stated that relations between both parties have improved, and the learning atmosphere at SDN 060807 Medan has returned to normal. Administrative sanctions will still be imposed on the school principal. "The parents have forgiven. Everything is back to normal, but from an administrative perspective, the principal must also be reprimanded through a warning letter to prevent such incidents from happening again," he explained. Regarding the chronology of the incident, the principal clarified that the teacher did not physically strike the students with bare hands but rather tapped their shoulders with a book and imposed punishments like squat jumps. Responding to this, Mujiono asserted that any form of physical punishment in schools is unacceptable. "The principal said they were only hit on the shoulder with a book. But now, such physical punishments are no longer allowed. If homework is not done, they should be guided properly, not hit," Mujiono emphasized. On another note, Mujiono expressed regret over DAL's resignation, considering their status as a contract employee. To avoid one-sided assumptions, the Medan Education Office requested a written statement from the school regarding the resignation. "Yes, we actually feel sorry for them and do not want them to lose their job. That's why we asked the principal to make a statement, so it doesn't look like we forced them. We did not force them; it was purely the individual's own will," he added. The case began on Wednesday (26/8), when dozens of parents, accompanied by their children still in school uniforms, visited the Medan Education Office. Their purpose was to report excessive sanctions experienced by approximately 10 students due to difficulties in completing homework. "Today, representatives of parents and students from SD Negeri 060807 came to report an incident that occurred at the school. The Education Office has facilitated discussions with the parents and children regarding the incident at the school," Mujiono stated last week. Mujiono reiterated that classrooms should be a safe place for the development of students. "They reported that there was a form of hitting against the children because they did not do their homework. And that is not a valid reason, as this is a child-friendly school," he concluded.