PETALING JAYA: All programmes involving freelance speakers in schools have been halted with immediate effect, says Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek (pic).
The order follows allegations of inappropriate conduct involving a speaker at a school.
Fadhlina said the move would allow a full investigation into the matter.
She said she had taken note of several allegations circulating on social media involving a freelance speaker who had conducted programmes with students.
She described the allegations as serious, as they involved the safety and protection of pupils.
Fadhlina said the ministry would obtain further information regarding the matter, urging those with information to come forward and lodge a police report.
“Reports to the authorities are very important to ensure that children receive the protection and support.
“Student safety must be treated with the utmost seriousness and scrutiny. The safety of children under our care cannot be compromised,” she said in a statement yesterday.
Her statement follows allegations circulating on social media of inappropriate conduct by a freelance speaker during school programmes.
Several alleged victims have since come forward, sharing their accounts and purported evidence.
The posts also alleged that the speaker had touched students inappropriately.
However, these allegations have not been independently verified.
In a related development, a video shared by rapper and influencer Caprice on Facebook on Wednesday featured a woman who said she had encountered the speaker when she was a 16-year-old student in 2024.
She alleged that the speaker, who was a motivational speaker at a school programme she attended, initially spoke to her about her studies but later began asking increasingly personal questions, including what she was wearing.
She also alleged that he offered to buy her food, invited her to go out alone with him and offered to pick her up from school if she was free.
The woman further alleged that the speaker had sent her a three-second video of herself performing an exercise-like movement, although she was unsure who had recorded it.
“I hope that anyone who has encountered this speaker will come forward or have the courage to report the matter to the police to prevent others from falling victim to him,” she said.
