“Although I am disappointed and angry at the recent incident of period spot checks at Kolej Vokasional ERT Setapak, I am not surprised that it happened six months after period spot checks were revealed to be taking place nationwide,” she said in a statement today.
“We were made aware of period spot checks back then because 275 former students and current students were brave enough to produce testimonies of their experience of period spot checks in schools.
“Six months later, it is happening again, because (the ministry) has failed to take any action and meaningful response on the issue.”
Teo, a former deputy education minister, said she received a two-page written response on Sept 29 to her parliamentary question on a “long-term systematic plan” by the education ministry to stop sexual harassment in schools, including period spot checks, which did not outline any new efforts by the ministry to respond to the problem.
“The parliamentary answer provided steps like the intervention module on sexual crimes against children in schooIs (IHSAN) and school relations officers (PPS). The IHSAN module is not new in its aim to increase the awareness of sexual crimes among students. But where is the awareness programme for the adults?
“Let us not forget that out of 311 perpetrators (in the previous incident), 247 were teachers, ustazah (female religious teachers), ustaz (male religious teacher) and wardens.
“The PPS programme, where a police officer is designated to oversee a particular school, is also not new and has been in existence for so long. If this programme did not stop sexual harassment and period stop checks in the past, what different outcomes can be expected from PPS now?” she said.
The issue of period spot checks in schools came under the spotlight again two days ago when former journalist Tashny Sukumaran tweeted that she had received a tip on Oct 18 that staff at Kolej Vokasional ERT Setapak had allegedly conducted spot checks on 30 girls aged 18 to 19 to prove they were menstruating with a cotton bud swab.
Senior education minister Radzi Jidin visited the school yesterday to speak to the principal and the teachers.