Special School Teachers Deny Alleged Assault Against Students

Teachers from Special School No.29 held a press conference on April 4 to contain a growing scandal over complaints about assault and battery against students.

According to teachers and some students' parents, local media medee.mn indicated that teachers physically abuse students, drink alcohol within school grounds, sexually assault female students, and that young teachers have sex within school grounds while reporting a protest by senior students with hearing impairment on March 27 to stand upfor their rights to equal access to schooling. Teachers and parents denied all these accusations and announced that they would file a lawsuit against medee.mn for unethical business practices.

Lawyer G.Batbayarstated, 'The things medee.mn website published on April 1 didn't happen at all. This school doesn't allow such criminal offenses to occur. The journalist took an interview from a disabled person without civil legal capability as specified in Article 18 in the Civil Code and spread it throughout the country. Hence, (teachers) have decided to take legal action against her for defamation.'

Journalist B.Urantsetseg who wrote the article defended herself by playing the voice recording she took for her article during the press conference. The recording stated, 'There are two or three young male teachers who make sexual advances such as caressing the body during breaks'.

After hearing the recording, school training manager D.Alimaa said, 'We shouldn't believe what this recording says. We need to see a video of the person making these accusations through sign language.'

However, teachers couldn't prove that theseaccusations werefabricated. The teacher who interpreted for the deaf student who communicated through sign language refused to join the press conference.

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science hasn't made an announcement about the case as necessary investigations are underway.

Reportedly, there are 140 male students and 200 female students living at Special SchoolNo.29's dormitory. As soon as the scandal broke out, teachers decided to defend themselves instead of fact-checking rumors.

Junior and senior students at Special School No.29 staged a walk out on March 27, and through a protest held outside of the school, they demanded that all classes be taught in sign language for students with hearing impairments.

The young protesters with speech and hearing impairments hope to be heard in their fight for the right to equal access to...