In a high court hearing tied to the Siti Nafirah Siman teacher absenteeism case, Shaza Scherazade Alauddin Onn, former aide to ex-education minister Maszlee Malik, alleged that the Ministry of Education routinely ignored serious reports of sexual abuse, physical violence, absenteeism, and large-scale financial mismanagement. We first hear from Calvina Angayung, one of three students who successfully sued her former teacher and school in 2020 for absenteeism. Then, we get into this issue with Sharmila Sekaran.

Other stories we covered:

• Citizenship double standards under fire: Following FIFA’s sanction of Malaysia for falsifying documents to naturalize seven foreign-born footballers, activists are spotlighting stark disparities in citizenship access. We speak to Chuah Joe Ann, Project Manager of NGO Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas on this. Cikgu Siti Rahayu Baharin, co-founder of Buku Jalanan Chow Kit also weighed in.

• Israel intercepts Global Sumud Flotilla: Thirteen Global Sumud Flotilla vessels, including those with Malaysian volunteers, have been intercepted by Israeli forces. Contact with 17 Malaysians has been lost. PM Anwar Ibrahim condemned the act and demanded their release, while activists urged continued public support for Palestine. We hear thoughts from Jerald Joseph, human rights consultant and director of the NGO Pusat Komas and Dr Fauziah Mohamad Hasan, who is part of the steering committee on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

• School canteen operators on food ban: With 12 popular food items now banned in schools, there have been concerns of price hikes as canteen operators adjust. We hear from Jazmi Hassan, who is the secretary for the Persatuan Pengusaha Kantin Sekolah Malaysia.

• Dame Dr Jane Goodall dies at 91: Her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees at Gombe Stream reshaped science, while her lifelong advocacy inspired generations to protect the planet. We look back on some of her best moments, including her visit to Malaysia last year, and talk about her legacy.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Sudais Ferhard, Dashran Yohan, Sneha Harikannan, Alia Zefri, Juliet Jacobs

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharaad Kuttan, Susan Tam

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Categories:  environment,  culture,  History/Heritage,  education,  Women in Business,  health policy,  food,  Law/Activism,  politics,  government,  international,  corruption

Tags:  jane goodall,  school canteen,  food ban,  israel,  Global Sumud Flotilla mission,  citizenship,  fifa,  ministry of education,