JB school's SPM workshop for Muslim students causes stir on social media

JOHOR BARU: A Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) workshop for a convent school here was allegedly held only for Muslim students and has gathered strong reactions from parents and the public.

It is learnt that the two-day, one-night workshop that was held in a hotel here, covered critical subjects including Additional Mathematics and Chemistry.

"The school held a two-day, one-night SPM workshop for only Muslim students, saying that it would only involve religious-related subjects.

"However, it turned out to be a comprehensive workshop covering subjects such as Chemistry, Additional Mathematics and others.

"Apparently, it was paid for by a donor. Non-Muslim students were left out and not even informed about the workshop," said Twitter user @sangria200.

Her tweets have since made the rounds on social media, gathering over 400 retweets and more than 700 likes in less than 24 hours.

She added that when disgruntled parents sought an explanation from the school's Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) chat group, the school principal shut down the conversation.

"The PTA has since forwarded the pertinent queries regarding the workshop to the school principal and is waiting for her response," she added.

When contacted, an official from the state Education Department who declined to be named, said that the department is aware of the viral issue and was currently gathering further information on the matter.