KUALA LUMPUR – Several parents of students from SMK Infant Jesus Convent in Johor Baru, which has been at the centre of the “Muslims only” examination workshop controversy, have slammed the Education Ministry for its “inconsistent” stance on the matter.
Eight parents, who are also members of the elite all-girls high school’s parent-teacher association (PTA), also said they were never informed about the workshop being divided into two separate sessions.
“We find the ministry’s statement released yesterday inconsistent with what had been told to us by (school principal) Ande Noor (Munawarah Bachok) when queried about it earlier.
“Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of these workshops were never discussed at PTA meetings, nor was approval sought for the use of funds for them,” the parents said in a joint statement today.
Labelling the matter as a “serious breach of trust”, the parents called on the PTA and school administration to ensure that all future planning and communication will be collaborative and transparent to avoid discriminatory practices.
The statement was issued after the Johor district education office and the state Education Department facilitated a meeting this morning to address the issue.
Yesterday, the Education Ministry refuted allegations of discrimination in the workshop which purportedly excluded non-Muslim students.
It explained that the workshop was split into several sessions to avoid disrupting Chinese New Year festivities for students celebrating the occasion.
Its minister Fadhlina Sidek had subsequently come under fire from netizens over her ministry’s response, with many taking to Twitter to voice their dissatisfaction over her issuing a “half-baked” explanation on the matter.
Her decision to leave the matter to the state Education Department had also drawn ire from the public who accused the first-time minister of “washing her hands” of the issue.
Meanwhile, human rights group Pusat KOMAS said that the ministry’s attempt at “damage control” by claiming that another workshop session is upcoming is “disingenuous in nature.”
“Prioritising students based on their ethnicity while disregarding others is a clear act of preferential treatment and racial discrimination.
“Better ownership and accountability must come from the ministry and (Fadhlina) who should make a stand and address the issue of racism and racial discrimination in school,” it said in a statement today. – The Vibes, January 25, 2023
