PETALING JAYA: Teachers and students in Terengganu schools were only “requested” and not “ordered” to clap their hands for five-minutes, The Star Online reported yesterday.The portal quoted Terengganu Education Department director Shafruddin Ali Hussin confirming that he was the author of the now viral message calling for hand clapping exercises to be conducted in schools statewide.
“It was a request for them to clap their hands to liven up official events and such values would be followed by other students,” Shafruddin said at a press conference, where he reportedly read out from a prepared statement and refused to entertain questions.
In the circulated text message, Shafruddin had asked for photographic proof of teachers and students clapping sent to him “without exceptions”. This is reportedly after teachers had failed to show their appreciation during a recent event by the state Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman.
Five school heads had even responded to Shafruddin’s “request”, saying they had done as instructed, with one saying the instruction was to be followed because “we have no choice”.
The video of the clapping “exercise” in a primary school in Terengganu has also gone viral being extensively shared on Facebook and YouTube.
Meanwhile, the BBC also carried a report on the clapping instruction video. Titled “Malaysian teachers confused by clapping practice order”, the report used a photograph of North Korean soldiers clapping for their leader, comparing the two incidents.
In a later report, Bernama quoted Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan as saying the Education Ministry did not issue any directive to teachers and students in Terengganu to undergo the hand-clapping exercise.
“The Ministry of Education did not issue any directive (to practise hand-clapping) as it is not necessary. In my view it was personal directive from the state education director.
“Clapping hands is a personal right of an individual present in a function, and this issue should not be exaggerated.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoUxRtMPMXU