This is like school bully!

[MarrickG]

Sinkapore got the same problem. The principals are given too much power and too young (many of them scholars). You ask for transfer and you will get hell from the principal and bonus affected badly.

WHEN Marlina*, a young teacher accused her school principal of being "unfair and biased" at a meeting last year in front of other teachers, little did she know that the incident would cause her to pay a heavy price.

Ever since then, going to school has become a living hell for Marlina.

The principal now constantly finds fault with her, and recently sent out an "unusual" directive that forbids her from speaking to, or mingling with the school driver and clerks in the office, says the Physics teacher in a Northern state.

"If the principal wants to say something to me, she will get one of the teachers to pass the message to me. It feels like she is shutting me out ... like I don't belong here," said Marlina in an interview with StarEducation.

Feeling helpless and depressed, the secondary school teacher turned to her colleagues for help, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as other fellow teachers were too afraid to stick up for her against the principal, who allegedly has a "close" relationship with PPD (district education department).

Tensions aside, Marlina alleges that her principal has not exercised her power fairly and appropriately, especially when it comes to staff transfers and the appointment of the canteen operator.

Marlina's conflict with her principal has reached boiling point. After seeking her lawyer's advice, the 34-year-old teacher has lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) with a letter containing 13 allegations against the near-retiring principal last week.

"I can't take it anymore. I love my school and my students but my principal is driving me crazy and giving me all this (unnecessary) stress. I want her to be transferred out of the school," said the frustrated teacher.

Marlina's situation is not an isolated one. For years, we have heard of complaints by teachers alleging that their headmasters (HMs) or principals have been abusing their authority.

Some have dipped into the school coffers, while others have profited from kickbacks for offering contracts on school projects. There are yet other school heads who have gained in the form of favours and help.

However, unlike Marlina, very few teachers have actually come forward to report against their school heads for fear of repercussions like being deliberately left out during a promotion exercise or being transferred to another school.

While some teachers have commended Marlina for speaking up, many of them think that it was foolish of her to do so, considering similar allegations; not just from her school but from other schools, where the complainant was demonised and the complaints swept under the carpet.

As a teacher from a Klang Valley school says: "You will stick out like a sore thumb for accusing your school head of any wrongdoing and instead earn the reputation of being a trouble-maker amongst your colleagues."

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100405-208527.html