Sick Boy Dies After Being Punished by Teacher

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PUBLISHED ON April 5, 2008 AT 11:54 AM

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the concerned authorities below requesting
for their appropriate intervention into this case. The teacher
involved should be imposed with sanctions immediately and that a
credible and effective inquiry must begin. An inquiry must determine
whether the teacher’s imposition of punishment had aggravated the
victim’s medical condition which resulted to his death; and if it is
so criminal charges must be promptly filed against her.

The AHRC had also written to the UN Special Rapporteur on the
Question of Torture and the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

To support this appeal, please click here:

Dear ____________,

PHILIPPINES: Sick boy dies after being punished by teacher

Name of the victim: Jovan Samson Pascual, 14 years old, a resident of
San Pedro Street, Lagao Generals Santos City; a second year high
school student; had been suffering from typhus; died 13 days later
after having been admitted to a hospital
Name of alleged perpetrator: Leonarda Awayan, a public school teacher
attached to the Lagao national High School (LNHS), General Santos City
Date of incident: 6 March 2008 at the same school

I am writing to raise my grave concern regarding the death of a
14-year-old boy, Jovan Samson Pascual, days after having been
punished by his teacher for failing to do his homework. Jovan had
been suffering from typhus and had been admitted at the hospital for
about 15 days prior to returning back to school. His physicians had
advised his parents that he be avoided from doing stressful
activities and he should take a rest at home.

I have learned that when he reported back to school on March 6, his
teacher, Leonarda Awayan, had punished him together with several
other students. He and other students were ordered to do squats in
front of their classmates. It took him and the others for sometime
until he had fallen ill and appeared pale. He was soon after sent
home where his parents had immediately taken him to hospital for
medical attention.

When he arrived at the General Santos City Doctors Hospital (GSCDH),
the physicians attending him had advised his parents to take him to
Davao City, where he could get sufficient medical attention which
they also did. However, I have learned that 13 days later when he was
taken back home from Davao City he died on his way.

There are serious allegations that the imposition of punishment on
him by his teacher could have aggravated his medical condition which
resulted to his death. According to the boy’s parents, though they
had properly informed his teacher about the medical condition of
their son in a letter given to her explaining his absence from
school, they were ignored. The teacher, instead, denied knowing it.

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3 Responses to “Sick Boy Dies After Being Punished by Teacher”

Jasmin Habelito Says:
April 5th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Goo day to you!. As a mother of three who is struggling hard to make both ends meet but fail to do so and had to send all my kids to a public school, I was deeply affected by this story. It only goes to show how some teachers of public schools threat their students. Please do not make excuses that they are being unpaid. Be aware that all of us are bing underpaid as this is the current situation we are all in right now.

I hope, no I truly wish that something would come out of this and the young boy could not have died in vain.
Nanette Wood Says:
April 27th, 2008 at 12:19 am
That teacher should be arrested for punishing those kids from not doing there homework. It is considered a felony with a big lawsuit if this incident took place in the United States. Teachers are suppose to be the role model. They are suppose to motivate the kids instead of punish them. Those kids need to know that if they applied themselves and focused on their studies, anything is possible. They should never give up on the students when their future is at hand. They need to show those kids and make them realize that they arent scumbags and losers. To tell you the truth, those teachers who punish those kids and bring their self esteem to the ground and make them feel like their nothing, but scumbags, They are the ones that are scumbags. Someone so insensitive and cold hearted, and just because they got degrees and good jobs doesnt mean that their better than the ones who are poor. I thank God for everything that I have; I got it like that and more, but I’m not a scumbag or a snob who disrespects people and puts judgement on them. Those people will be judged and Karma will hit them in the ass. Watch out! Dont think that Karma will forget you scumbags! You may not get it now, but you will get it someday.
Nelita Trahan Says:
July 24th, 2008 at 5:17 am
I agree it is completely unacceptable when a teacher punished a child without homework. When you become a classroom teacher you committed yourself to teach the children. And that becomes part of your life. You become connected to your class. You work as a group or as a team. Just like a big family. Everyone in the classroom should be happy. And the teacher knows that not all students are having high IQ’s. Some are slow learners some are not. And maybe this is one of the reason why the student cannot produce his homework because he do not know what to do. The teacher could just said “if no homework that means zero if you got zero that means no grade until you submitted your work. And if you fail just come back next year to my class.” And that’s all. My opinion is this teacher should be responsible and should be brought to court.
I have a 10 years old nephew in the Philippines and his head was whacked by his homeroom teacher with a sharp object until he bleeds and almost passed out because of the pain. The day after it occured my sister in law, the mother told me the story. As I was reading her text my heart falls apart. It breaks my heart. It hurts my feelings. I do not understand why?. My heart was crying. I know the pain that my nephew had suffered. He was just such a young boy, very tender and went through with this unforgettable memory. The teacher asked for forgiveness but we didn’t give any. Instead we brought the teacher to court and it is going on right now. Finally, the hearing was already started.

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Sick Boy Dies After Being Punished by Teacher

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