Black school shoe ruling only to be enforced by 2021, says ministry

PUTRAJAYA: The black shoe ruling for government schools will only be fully enforced in 2021, giving all relevant parties plenty of time to prepare.

“This means that all students in government schools are still allowed to wear white shoes till the end of year 2020.

“This decision was made after the ministry took into account views and opinions from all parties, including the school, teachers, parents, students, NGOs as well as suppliers,” said the Education Ministry in a statement issued yesterday.

The ministry said schools should not implement new rules to force the black shoe ruling on students during the “transition period”.

Parents also should not rush their children to wear black shoes, the ministry added.

On July 20, Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik announced the black shoe ruling during a Sinar Harian forum on education.

He said that all schools were allowed a one-year grace period to allow students to adapt and get used to the new ruling.

However, Dr Maszlee’s announcement received backlash from several parties, with many saying it was a “hasty” decision.

National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Harry Tan later revealed that the black shoe ruling was not an overnight decision as the ministry had in fact received many requests from parents over the years to change the colour of the shoes, and the ministry had conducted studies on the matter.