Terengganu denies foregoing Deepavali
KUALA LUMPUR: The Terengganu Education Department has denied it is sacrificing Deepavali to extend the Hari Raya school break, saying it was instead moving additional days allocated for the November break.
Department director Shafruddin Ali Hussin rubbished rumours that the move would force Indians to attend school during the Hindu festival, after a department circular announcing the move was distributed online.
The document said that Terengganu has given school principals the discretion to extend Hari Raya holidays by moving days from the Deepavali break on November 11 and 12 to July 22 and 23, the tail end of the holidays for the Muslim festival.
“I would like to clarify this issue. It is not what is being claimed. November 10 is the federal holiday for Deepavali, which applies nationwide. No one has powers to deny students that break.
“The state, however, can allocate extra days for festive breaks for Deepavali, as per a ministry guideline,” Shafruddin said.
He explained that the Education Ministry has sanctioned the move to shift the two holidays after Deepavali towards the Hari Raya break, as long as November 9, the eve of Deepavali, remained a school holiday.
Shafruddin further said the guideline was optional, adding that he also instructed that all Indian teachers in all schools in the state be contacted for feedback.
“We accommodated everyone. There were even some IndianHindu teachers who said they preferred the Hari Raya extension while some wanted their Deepavali break. We gave them what they want as it is an option the schools can choose,” he added.
He said currently, there are 23 Indian teachers and 241,000 Indian students in the state.
Shafruddin also expressed disappointment at those who criticised the move without checking with the authorities.
“I was criticised and scolded by one Indian parent over this. I would not do such a thing. It is wrong and there was never an issue to begin with.
“Let’s put this thing behind and move forward,” he said in a telephone interview with the Malay Mail Online.
The document has prompted claims of racism from ethnic Indians after it appeared online, as the additional holidays surrounding Deepavali did not appear to be widely known.
The document also prompted MCA vice president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun to criticise Shafruddin for being biased.
The day before, Deputy Education Minister II P. Kamalanathan assured Indian students and teachers in Terengganu that their Deepavali holiday would not be affected and that the circular “does not apply to them”.