Teacher in Ain's case temporarily placed at Selangor Education Dept

 

A male teacher who had allegedly made lewd jokes in class, as exposed by Form 5 student Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, has been temporarily relieved of his duties at SMK Puncak Alam, Selangor, pending outcome of a police probe.

The Education Ministry in a statement today confirmed that the teacher has been placed at the Selangor Education Department.

“The ministry’s follow-up action will be based on the outcome of police investigations of the case,” said the ministry, citing Ain’s report lodged on April 24.

On April 24, Ain posted a video on TikTok where she said a male teacher had made jokes about rape during a physical and health education class, prompting widespread outrage on social media.

This included telling the boys in class that if they were to commit rape, they should target those above 18.

Since going public with her story, Ain has gained her share of supporters and critics, including allegedly from a school administrator who labelled her as “anak setan” (spawn of the devil) in a Facebook post.

The Education Ministry cited the viral screenshot comment allegedly made by Ain’s headmistress on Facebook, revealing that the individual had lodged a police report claiming her account was “hacked” and she never posted the offending remark.

The supposed comment was made to criticise Ain’s move to don a headscarf in a Facebook poster for an NGO-hosted forum together with her mother.

This comes after her initial appearances on social media and subsequent interviews attracted more lewd comments over her physical appearance.

Since then, Ain has yet to return to school, saying she felt unsafe with “no actions” being taken against the teacher, pending the outcome of the police probe.

She previously said her father Saiful Nizam Abdul Wahab had on April 28 met with her school principal, Students Affairs teacher, her class teacher, and her school’s Parent-Teacher Association president to discuss the case.

The discussion was highlighted as Ain said she had on May 4 received a letter dated April 28 which stated she can be expelled for being absent without notifying the school’s management.

In its statement today, the Education Ministry said the first warning letter was issued as part of an internal system to monitor students’ attendance, either after three consecutive days of being absent, or 10 non-consecutive days.

“Between April 16 and April 30, the school (SMK Puncak Alam) has issued six first warning letters to parents/guardians of students who were absent without reason.

“The Education Ministry would like to stress that it always prioritises the safety and welfare of students as well as staff,” it said.

Ain’s call to make schools a safer place has since generated public debate on the issue of sexual harassment in school, also sparking calls for reform of the education system.  - Mkini