Mara chairman Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki should replace Fadhlina Sidek as education minister, as she has failed to adequately address bullying issues in schools, said Alor Setar MP Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden.
Referring to the case in Melaka last month, Afnan said Asyraf was quick to expel six students from a Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) after they were found to be involved in bullying.
“I think he should be the education minister. The only issue is that he has not won (a parliamentary seat),” Malaysiakini quoted the PAS MP as saying at a press conference in Parliament today.
“I pray that he will win in the upcoming elections so that he can replace the education minister.”
The six students from a Melaka MRSM were not the first to be kicked out after being implicated in a bullying incident.
In April, seven students at an MRSM in Penang were expelled for bullying a fellow resident, and two months later, six students who bullied a 14-year-old student at an MRSM in Besut, Terengganu, were also expelled.
Commenting on public concern over the death of Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir, Afnan said parents are increasingly worried about sending their children to school, and are losing trust in the educational institutions.
“The education minister has given assurances that our schools are safe, but the public does not want verbal assurances alone (as) the situation has become severe, with many bullying cases occurring in our schools,” he said.
Zara was found unconscious at 4am on July 16 after she allegedly fell from the third floor of her school’s hostel in Papar, Sabah. She died at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital the following day.
A post-mortem has been completed after her body was exhumed.
Several demonstrations were held across Sabah to demand justice for Zara.
