The Kulai MP said this was a manifestation of the failure on the part of the ministry to handle a situation of conflict between a teacher and a student with maturity and wisdom.
She said if the education minister had created a proper window for a frank discussion and mediation, the situation where a teacher and a student suing each other could have been avoided.
“But this was not done. From the beginning, the ministry did not take ownership of the problem, leaving it to the police while taking a lackadaisical attitude,” she said in a statement today.
“The minister and his team failed to resolve this before it turned into a legal dispute.”
Secondary school teacher Khairul Nizam Sanuddin has filed a suit against Ain and her father, Saiful Nizam Abdul Wahab, for defamation over claims that he made “rape jokes” during a physical education class.
Khairul, 43, filed the suit in the Shah Alam sessions court on Nov 26, claiming that Ain made defamatory statements against him between April 23 and 24 on her social media accounts, as well as in media interviews from April 26 to June 26.
He is seeking an injunction to bar the father and daughter from repeating the alleged statements on social media, and damages. He also wants a court order to compel Ain and Saiful to tender an apology.
Ain’s TikTok video on the alleged rape jokes had gone viral and led to other students and former students speaking out over their own experiences in school, with the hashtag #MakeSchoolASaferPlace trending on social media.
It was later reported that Ain received a rape threat from a male classmate, which her father reported to the police. The student later apologised and Saiful was said to have accepted the apology.
Teo said the whole episode showed that the education minister had failed to make schools safe, not only for Ain, but all students alike.
She said Ain also had to leave public school and transfer to a private school to pursue her education.
“This only indicates that the system has failed and we as adults have failed children like her.
“The minister should seek expert advice and seriously review all standard operating procedures and existing policies on investigating, and handling cases of sexual harassment in schools and educational institutions.”
Teo said victims who spoke up must be protected and the system must not be designed to punish people who had the courage to come forward.
She said Ain’s right to expression and opinion must also be respected, adding with the recent development, victims of sexual harassment in schools or educational institutions might not be willing to speak up.
“I would also like to stress that the education ministry is also not addressing the elephant in the room, that is, teachers need holistic training and capacity building to enhance their understanding of the safe school concept.
“The concept of safe school is not one that only focuses on physical safety but one that also encompasses the mental and emotional safety of students,” she said.