A man carries a Jalur Gemilang and Palestinian flag during the Solidarity 4 Palestine Rally at Dataran Kemerdekaan Shah Alam on Oct 29, 2023.
KUCHING (Oct 31): A check with schools across the state has found that most of them are not holding events to mark Palestine Solidarity Week as directed by the Ministry of Education (MoE).
According to parents and teachers interviewed yesterday and today, the school programme for the week is routine.
“There were no activities related to the directive being a carried out at the school where I am teaching. Today was just a normal day at the office for me,” said Metric Mihon, who teaches at SK Serayan/Keranji in Lundu District.
Metric said SK Holy Name, where his wife teaches in the same district, is also not holding activities related to the directive.
Parents contacted also confirmed the schools their children are attending will not be holding any Palestine Solidarity Week activities.
“As far as I know I did not see any when I went to the school near my village, which is SK Penom,” said Sulan Anding, whose husband is a school gardener from Ulu Paku, Spaoh, Betong Division.
Umbat Tambat, whose children attend SK Jalan Bintang and SMK Baru Miri in Miri, also said the same thing.
On the other hand, Niok Abraham said SMK Pujut, where her children go to school, had invited Muslim students to participate in such activities last week.
“Non-Muslim students of the school were not invited to participate in the event. I did not see any such activities being held at the school today however,” said the housewife.
SMK Agama Sheikh Haji Othman Abdul Wahab (SHOAW) in Kuching is planning to show its solidarity by holding a fundraiser.
“There is nothing going on at our school today but do we plan to collect donations for Palestinian victims involved in the conflict in the near future,” said a teacher, who declined to be named.
A brief visit to the nearby SK Petra Jaya also showed no signs of activities related to Palestine Solidarity Week.
The MoE’s recent directive for all government education institutions to observe a solidarity week in support of the Palestinian cause from today until Nov 3 has drawn much flak from Sarawakians.
They include leaders from both sides of the political divide, religious leaders, and civil society groups.
In a statement on Oct 26, Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen said Deputy Minister of Education Lim Hui Ying confirmed the programme is not compulsory for schools and education institutions in Sarawak.