PETALING JAYA: The school expulsion warning letter sent to Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam - the teenager behind the #MakeSchoolASaferPlace movement - has sparked concern from a parent's group.
Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin said it is “outrageous” that she had received a warning letter for not attending school while the teacher who made the inappropriate rape joke and the student who allegedly threatened to rape her had supposedly not been reprimanded.
Mak added that this letter will damage the school’s management and teachers’ reputation.
“The school’s management and the Education Ministry owe us an explanation as to why this action is being taken when her father had already met with the school’s management, ” he told The Star in a statement.
“Are we educating the students that raping someone above the age of 18 is fine or are we waiting for rape to happen rampantly, like in some other countries, before justifying action, ” he said.
Mak also questioned the message being given to students with the issuance of the warning letter.
“Magpie feels that Ain should not be threatened for bringing up this issue.
“Instead, we should be grateful to her for her boldness to bring up such wrongdoings in the school.
“The Education Ministry cannot sweep this issue under the carpet, ” he added.
In a tweet at about 1am Sunday (May 9), Ain said she received the first warning letter of her expulsion for not coming to school for three days.
Ain, who goes by @ant33ater on Twitter, said: "On the same day the letter was sent, (that) was the same day my father met the principal and she said she supported me on that day but went ahead and did this the same day.”
“The teacher himself and the boy that made the rape threat didn't get any action taken on them, but I'm getting expelled. This would ruin my life," she said in a post.
Ain made headlines after she lodged a police report against a male teacher for allegedly making rape jokes in class, a move that sent shockwaves through the nation.
She had also lodged a report against a group of schoolmates who allegedly made rape threats against her following her first police report.
However, her father Saiful Nizam Abdul Wahab was quoted as saying that the case (against her schoolmates) will be recorded as a no further action (NFA) by the police after the schoolmates and their families sought forgiveness from Ain’s family.
According to the action guidelines for students who do not attend school, students would normally be given the first warning letter if they are absent for three consecutive days.
The guidelines say there would be a second letter if the student does not attend school for seven days after the first warning and the final letter another seven days of absence from the second letter.
The student will be expelled after 14 days of absence from the final warning.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
