Maszlee: Investigation underway in schoolgirl caning incident

PETALING JAYA: Investigations are underway in the case of a secondary school teacher accused of caning a female student.

Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said he had instructed the Johor Baru District Education Office (PPD) to  investigate the matter.

“(This is) so that justice can be given to both the teacher and student involved,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (June 25).

Maszlee said the parents would be meeting PPD based on the latest PPD report he had received.

He also advised the public not to share videos or images of the victim or the teacher.

According to Maszlee, the ministry would not condone any form of violence against students.

“The ministry is positive that this issue can be settled soon in accordance with the appropriate standard operating procedures,” he said in response to a two-minute and twenty-eight-second video showing a teacher being scolded by a woman for caning a schoolgirl, causing welt marks on her arms and legs.

The teacher is seen trying to explain himself, while a woman behind the camera – believed to be the girl's mother – questions his actions in caning the girl.

The video, which has gone viral on social media and WhatsApp, is believed to have been shot in the school.

The victim is believed to have called her teacher "Ah qua lao shi" (ladyboy teacher) in the school corridor, which led to her being caned.

Photos of her injuries were also circulated on social media.

There is also a photo of the girl seen holding a police report, believed to have been lodged against the teacher.