SIBU: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Youth Chief, Councillor Kevin Lau Kor Jie, has called on the Ministry of Education (MOE) to seriously carry out an urgent reform of the national education system as cases of bullying to gang rape and a recent stabbing that happened in a school in Peninsular Malaysia were deeply troubling to parents and teachers nationwide.
He said the ministry’s stance shows a worrying detachment from the moral and social realities faced by educators and families, and raises grave concerns about the values the education system is choosing to uphold.
“When the nation’s education authority appears more concerned about the examination rights of accused perpetrators than the emotional and psychological well-being of the victim, something is fundamentally wrong.
“This is not the Malaysia we want to build,” he said in a press statement on Wednesday.
Lau, who is also SUPP Bawang Assan Branch Chairman, pointed out that it is also truly alarming when the ministry is “tone-deaf” to allow four students accused of gang rape to sit for public examinations while investigation is on-going.
Though he acknowledged that the minister concerned could have been blindsided by her deep concerns over the academic future of the four accused, he felt such concerns could have been communicated more effectively.
According to him, the uproar among parents and educators over the MOE’s handling of the case reflects a deep and longstanding frustration over the ministry’s misplaced priorities.
He added that the core purpose of education is not merely to produce examination results, but to raise responsible, ethical citizens.
“Allowing such accused students to proceed with their forthcoming public exams shows that MOE’s moral compass needs urgent recalibration,” he said.
“Over the last few decades, we have witnessed the erosion of confidence in our national education system. Parents are losing faith.
“Many are opting for private or international schools, believing that our public schools no longer offer the same quality of learning, discipline, or moral grounding they once did.
“Teachers themselves feel trapped – burdened by endless paperwork, performance reporting, and administrative duties that take time away from teaching.
“Teachers joined the profession to inspire and educate, not to become clerks buried under forms and online systems,” Lau lamented.
He attributed the perception to declining teaching standards, overcrowded classrooms, politicised policies, and inconsistent curriculum that changes with every new administration.
Lau stressed that the nation cannot afford further erosion of trust in the education system.
The MOE’s handling of this case, he said, should be a wake-up call to all levels of leadership.
“When public outrage erupts over an MOE decision, it means people still care. Parents care. Teachers care. The nation cares.
“What we need now is for the ministry to show that it cares too, not by defending bad decisions, but by correcting them,” Lau added.
