As an educator, I empathise with the six teachers involved in the case of the boys found guilty of taking upskirt videos ("Upskirt video case: School 'right' not to go straight to police"; Monday).

I appreciate the teachers for forgiving the 30 students involved, even though they have every right to report them to the police, as this is no ordinary disciplinary issue but a criminal offence. A police warning would carry more weight and act as a greater deterrent.

These teachers, too, need support from their family and the school. Let us not be too quick to defend these young offenders. There may be many factors that contributed to this case, but there is no justification for the offence committed.

We should seek to uncover and address the root causes of the offence, which could be wrong values inculcated, a lack of proper guidance at home, undesirable peer pressure, pornography and so on.

Ho Lay Ping (Ms)