THE Ministry of Education (MOE) stressed that it will not tolerate any form of statements or actions that can threaten racial harmony in the country.
A spokesman said the ministry is probing a case where a female teacher allegedly called a student 'bodoh' and made him sit next to a trash can after he was unable to speak Bahasa Malaysia.
In a viral audio clip, the teacher from Kerian, Perak had also allegedly told the student to 'balik China'.
"An investigation is underway, and we will take the relevant action once it is complete.
"We want to ensure our schools are safe and students of every race and religion are treated equally," said the spokesman.
The spokesman said the ministry will also evaluate if the 13-year-old student needed any psychological support following the incident.
It was reported today that the teacher concerned had since come under fire in social media for her alleged racist remarks.
Based on an audio recording on social media, the incident last week involved the female secondary school teacher who is heard admitting that she had insulted the student.
The teacher allegedly resorted to these actions because the student could not speak or understand Bahasa Malaysia.
Following the incident, the student is believed to have told his parents after which a male relative called the teacher.
In the conversation, the teacher did not deny the incident.
“This wasn’t the first time I said something like that, and I wasn’t the only one who did. Plus, we never got any complaints before,” she said.
She even said that if the student's parents could not speak Bahasa Malaysia, they too should return to China.
She also claimed she was not well and was upset why the man had called her when she was resting in bed.
The man tried to reason with her that Malaysians should respect each other and her actions were racially discriminating.
The teacher got more upset and insisted that the man should not have called her directly and that such complaints should be through the school.
Husband is a police officer
She then warned the man that her husband was a police officer and that she could trace his identity based on his phone number.
“I can report this to the Ministry of Education (MOE), and I can also find out your number because my husband is a cop,” she allegedly said.
Reports said that the school had since alerted the district education department about the incident.
It was also reported that the teacher had since admitted her mistake and through the Parent-Teacher Association, a meeting between the teacher and the student's parents has been arranged for next Thursday. - March 23, 2025
