He said the district education office acted after the teacher had apologised to the parents of the student involved.

“The teacher has also replaced the student’s headscarf,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

It was earlier alleged in a viral social media posting that the teacher had cut a student’s headscarf for being too short. The post also alleged that several other students had their headscarves cut for the same reason.

Some parents criticised the action, describing it as humiliating and saying it had caused emotional distress to the students involved.

Raisin urged teachers to exercise discretion in their actions by considering various factors, including parents’ ability to provide their children with school supplies.

“I also advise students to comply with the rules set by the school.

“All regulations implemented in accordance with the education ministry’s guidelines are intended for the benefit of students,” he said, expressing hope that there would be no repeat of the incident at other schools.