I had to enroll him at Gateway International school to compensate for hours lost while I was at work. There is no social protection for families like us. I was forced to work all day to meet ends while my husband worked in a resort.
I thought a private school would provide an inclusive, learning environment for him, helping him to make new friends. Little did I know I was putting him in the care of abusive and horrible people masquerading as teachers and caretakers. My son specifically recalls these events:
During Computing Period, the teacher mocked and laughed at him with the entire classroom after showing the parallelogram my son drew. He began to doubt himself with every little thing he does to the point that doing anything 'wrong' was a source of distress and anxiety for him.
Dhivehi Teacher: Took a storybook he was reading after completing his class assignment. Shouted at him, embarrassed him. He started avoiding school days on which Dhivhei was taught. He lost sleep over the thought of facing her.
Arab teacher tore his work & threw it away into the dustbin. Made him stand in the corner for the entire period.
What kind of inhumane person would do this to a child? No one paid any attention to what was being done to him; nor had they thought to bring these things to my attention. Afraid & humiliated, he couldn't tell me what was going on. He believed this to be all normal.
Later, I reported the matter to the school back in 2017. The faculty and management couldn't care less. I had to change him back to Public School. I had to leave my job because there was no other way to manage my time.
This time around he was hopeful but scared. we met the teachers and explained the situation in detail. We gave him hope. We encouraged him to tell us everything that happens in the new school.
Nothing changed. If anything it got worse. He got bullied every day. It got so bad that he chewed out his nails and fingertips. He would close his eyes walking through the corridor. The school faculty and management were oblivious to it all.
On a daily basis, I dealt with cases of bullying by reporting to the school and insisting that they consider my son's anxiety and the impact of bullying he had to endure everyday. Nothing changed.
During the P/E period, he was scolded for drinking water. His teachers asked him "school ah aee kanneiy vaan hey", blamed him for falling behind despite his best efforts. He was convinced by his peers and teachers alike that he will amount to nothing in life.
It escalated to physical bullying. He became everyone's target. He had lost all faith in the schooling system, its teachers, and caretakers. These are just some of the incidents involving teachers; he recalls many more incidents in which he was bullied by his peers.
At the height of the pandemic, we finally decided to move back to Addu. Immediately, he became less moody and better composed at home. It was then, he first started to express how terrifying schools have been for him. He expressed his disappointment and hurt he felt at school.
In 2021 we came back to Male' to resume school. Like many other children who'd grown their hair over the pandemic, my son also had grown his hair to ear length. He loved his new look. Made him feel slightly better about his appearance.
He cried knowing that he had to cut it to go to school. He felt ugly. He was afraid that his peers will mock him. To this day he questions this senseless rule.
Upon finding out why children can grow their hair long in private schools, he asks me why people can buy this freedom by paying money; he asks me why are some people exempt from rules if the right price is paid?
My son asks me "In their speeches, educators tell us to read books but when I do I get punished, why?"; "If I forget a book they keep me out of the class, what's the point? To prevent me from learning?" How do I answer him, @aisthly?
He reached the breaking point when he became convinced that there's no one who can help him or care about his well-being. His fears resurfaced. The thought of 8 more years of a schooling system that didn't care or protect him devastated him. His desire to live had become strained
With nowhere else to go, we changed him to home-schooling. Schools are meant to help children who need additional care. But instead, it amplified his congenital social anxieties and plunged him into severe depression. Where do parents like us turn to for help? @aisthly
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