Period spot checks done by students as a 'tradition', minister reveals

PARLIAMENT | Education Minister Radzi Jidin said his meeting with students at a vocational college over allegations of “period spot checks” had revealed that the act was perpetrated by students towards other students.

His explanation comes after the Education Ministry reportedly sent a letter dated Nov 2 directly to all State Education Department heads emphasising the prohibition of period spot checks.

“Based on the explanations given to us by the students, (period spot checks) are considered a tradition among their seniors and it is done generationally.

“So we have met with the students involved and advised them that starting then, the practice shall not be carried out anymore,” Radzi said during his winding-up speech for Budget 2022 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to Teo Nie Ching (Harapan-Kulai) who had congratulated the ministry for the Nov 2 letter and questioned what other actions the ministry was taking in this matter.

Radzi said they decided against revealing the letter to the public because they wanted to lessen the pressure on the students involved.

Aside from the ministry’s approach of advising the students, he said they had also issued the Nov 2 letter to all state directors as a “reminder”.

“We found out that it does happen and we have decided for all principals and headteachers to pay attention so that such incidents will not occur anymore in any institutions under the Education Ministry,” he said.

However, Teo questioned whether someone had given instructions to the students who were performing period spot checks on their fellow students.

Radzi stressed that the students themselves had said this was a “tradition” handed down among the student leadership to ensure discipline in the school.

“For some of them, this is a tradition that has been done for a long time. There are also some among them who did not know that such a thing should not be done.

“These are sincere explanations from the students,” he said.

But the ministry is still investigating whether any teachers were directly involved in such practices, he added.

If any teachers were found to have been involved, “appropriate action” will be taken against them, he said.

Previously, Radzi - along with his ministry’s secretary-general and director-general - had visited the ERT Vocational College in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur following allegations that period spot checks had been conducted. - Mkini