A teacher at Kedah Keat Hwa Independent High School in Alor Setar has been detained by the police over allegations of sexual harassment against a student.
The school has since announced the formation of a crisis response team, is cooperating with the investigation, and has suspended the teacher involved.
According to a statement on the school's official Facebook page, the police informed the school at 5pm yesterday (April 19) that a student had reported a teacher for sexual harassment.
As the principal is currently on medical leave, the vice-principal immediately compiled relevant information and reported the situation to the school board, leading to the formation of a crisis response team comprising members of the school board, the parent-teacher association (PTA), and the alumni association.
The crisis team held an emergency meeting at 10am today to understand the situation and, upon reaching a consensus, issued a statement outlining four key points.
Zero tolerance
The statement first emphasised the board’s firm and clear “zero tolerance” stance on any actions that infringe upon students’ rights.
It said that besides being suspended, the teacher accused of the harassment has also been barred from entering school grounds pending further investigation.
Secondly, the school pledged to fully safeguard student rights, arrange meetings with the student and their guardians, provide psychological support, and strictly protect the student’s privacy to prevent secondary harm.
The school has also set up a “campus safety reporting email”, jointly managed by the school board and PTA.
Third, the school reiterated its commitment to fairness and due process, while vowing that if the investigation found any illegal or improper conduct, the school would act strictly in accordance with the law and school regulations.
Lastly, the school committed to strengthening the professional conduct and ethical standards of its teachers.
This includes enhancing teacher behaviour guidelines and mechanisms for preventing sexual harassment to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
Furthermore, the school will hold an emergency briefing for all staff members tomorrow morning (April 21), and has invited the media to the school at 2pm the same day.
The incident in Alor Setar comes after multiple allegations of sexual harassment came to light at an independent Chinese high school in Kulai, Johor, earlier this month.
Female students and alumni at the Foon Yew High School alleged that their photos were being doctored by a male student, without their consent, in a sexually explicit manner.
Following this, other allegations of sexual misconduct and complaints of the school’s mishandling of such cases have surfaced, involving both the home campus in Johor Bahru and the branch in Kulai.
The principal of the school’s Kulai branch has since resigned. - Mkini
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