Warning issued to school over disposal of old and damaged flags

The Ministry of Education has issued a warning to Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Chinese) Keat Hwa, Alor Setar, Kedah, on the disposal of the Jalur Gemilang incident at the school that has gone viral on social media.

Education minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said school heads, principals and teachers need to be smart in managing their schools, they need to be always aware of what's happening around them and not take sensitive issues lightly which are frequently manipulated on social media.

"We have issued a warning not only to the school, but to any parties on matters related to the flag (as) a symbol of our country, it cannot be mocked," he said when speaking to reporters after officiating the 20th Annual Delegates Conference of the Union of Administrative Assistants and Junior Administrative Assistants (Education), Peninsular Malaysia here.

Mahdzir said the school's initial explanation to the Kedah Education Department was that flags were thrown by mistake by workers appointed privately by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to clean up their store.

The workers who found the flags, a contribution from the PTA for the Independence Day celebrations, in deplorable and torn conditions threw them without consulting the school authorities.

Mahdzir said there are certain procedures that must be followed before disposing flags that have been damaged, but the Ministry will await a full report on the incident before further action.