Go and don't come back!!

First semester ended on 26th May. Xiaoran had been in Singapore for more than a year, thousands of kilometres away from home and her beloved. It was not only her first trip abroad but also her first time away from her parents. As her grandfather was not well, he had just had a heart bypass, she was eager to go home.

I booked her air-ticket for 22nd May and she left that day. I had written a letter earlier, for her to give to Ms Loh but discovered later that she didn't because she was too terrified. Why? Because a few days before she left for home, Ms Loh had asked the class which foreign student was going home earlier. Xiaoran raised her hand and she was told,"Go and don't come back." Do I hear a threat?

Xiaoran told me Ms Loh didn't allow her to go back earlier, I assured her that it was nothing to worry about. I then wrote the letter asking the teacher for permission to leave earlier. But Ms Loh had instilled such great fear in Xiaoran that she had decided when she leave, never to return to Singapore.

On 26th May morning, my hubby went to school to get Xiaoran's report book. Ms Loh refused to hand it over, citing the reason Xiaoran had left school without permission. She refused to acknowledge that my hubby was the legal guardian of the child. She insisted she wanted to see the child's parents. My husband tried to talk to the Principal but couldn't locate him.

Xiaoran returned to Singapore at the insistence of her father. He had spent a large sum of money in sending her to study in Singapore. Xiaoran went to school on 26th June but cried everyday for 2 whole weeks. She called her parents several times a day, begging to return to China. Ms Loh had picked on her daily since her return from China. She kept asking to see her parents.

At that time, for Chinese nationals to travel out of China, they needed to go to Beijing to process their visa and placed a sum of money as collateral. It was a hassle. Besides there were us, the legal guardians.

Xiaoran's parents were here in February for the Chinese New Year holidays. They brought gifts for the teachers and met most of them. Ms Loh gave them a cold reception. The father later remarked that the form teacher was so stuck-up and seemed to look down on Chinese nationals.

Ms Loh refused to talk to us, insisting the parents fly over to see her. She constantly harassed my ward on this, bringing this matter up every now and then. Attempts to see the Principal came to nought because he was always not around. He is famous for his disappearing acts. My husband wrote him a letter, but no reply came from him. When my husband finally saw him, he tried to make excuses and cover up for the teacher and himself. He considered us nuisance and tried to avoid us.

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