‘Teachers entitled to show support to colleague’

KUALANERANG: TheEducation Ministry will not prevent teachers from rallying as a show of moral support for a colleague charged in court.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said teachers were entitled to show comradeship.

“We would do the same thing for our friends,” he said after launching the Women’s Health Awareness campaign at Dataran Tepi Sungai here yesterday.

He said this in commenting on the # PrayForCikguAzizan campaign and a statement issued by the National Union of The Teaching Profession calling for support for a teacher identified as ‘Cikgu Azizan’ who will stand trial today for allegedly assaulting a student who had committed school disciplinary offences, which went viral on the social media.

On a separate matter, Mahdzir said he viewed the actions of a 37-year- old male primary school teacher in Miri who wrote allegedly insulting comments on Islam and the Jerusalem issue as being rather extreme.

“We live in a world surrounded by diverse cultures and religions.

“Thus, I advise the public, especially teachers, to take heed of the sensitivity of an issue before making adverse comments on social media,” he said.

The teacher is under police probe.

The US’ recognition of Jerusalem Israel’s capital has angered Muslims worldwide. — Bernama