KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry should stop transferring teachers if the move jeopardises student safety, said Wanita MCA chief Datuk Wong You Fong (pic).
The senator said any educator under investigation for endangering student safety should not be allowed in classrooms.
“While investigations are ongoing, these individuals should be removed from school grounds and assigned desk duties at District Education Offices or state Education Departments.
“Transferring them to a different school does not solve the problem, but instead exposes other students to potential danger,” she said in a statement yesterday.
Wong urged the Education Ministry to overhaul its standard operating procedures for handling teachers implicated in assault and student endangerment cases.
“The gravity of this situation warrants external scrutiny and is a matter of public interest.
“We urge agencies such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate whether there has been any abuse of power in cases where alleged offenders are transferred,” she added.
“The dangerous practice of transferring problematic teachers to other schools must stop immediately.”
Wong said she was disturbed by recent claims made by former teacher Mohd Fadli Mohamed Salleh, who alleged that a teacher facing sexual assault allegations had been transferred to a new school.
“If true, this reflects a failure in our child protection framework. The safety of our children must always outweigh any desire to protect institutional reputation or shield colleagues.
“Schools must remain sacred and safe spaces for learning, not hunting grounds for predators. We call on the Education Ministry to act transparently and fix its procedures to protect children,” she said.
It was reported that Mohd Fadli alleged that a primary school teacher in Johor had been transferred to another school after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a pupil.
He claimed to have personally read the police report related to the case.
