The school embroiled in controversy over the Interlok novel has been directed to submit a report over the incident in which a teacher allegedly uttered a racial slur against ethnic Indian students in the school. An officer at the Hulu Selangor district education department (PPD), Mat Jah Roslan, said the authorities at the SMK Kuala Kubu Bharu will have by the end of the day today make the report ready for purposes of further investigation by the department.
The report will be prepared by the school principal as well as the teacher concerned, Mat Jah toldMalaysiakini when contacted yesterday.
“We are in the midst of trying to determine the causes of the incident, which quarters (are responsible). This is because each of the parties concerned are not satisfied.
"We need to scrutinise the actual facts and in a clearer context," he said further.
In the incident, three Form Five students were on Monday taken to the Kuala Kubu Baru district police headquarters and questioned for 10 hours after they had gone to the principal on Friday last week with the purpose of returning their copies of the novel Interlok.
This happened after a group of them wanted to return the book because they were not happy with its contents, but were stopped by a discipline teacher who allegedly abused them verbally.
Commenting further on the matter, Mat Jah said as the incident had been widely reported in the media, the district education department as well as the Education Ministry want to know the facts behind the episode.
"They've asked the district education department. That's why we need clarification from those involved," said Mat Jah.
It was reported yesterday that Hulu Selangor MP P Kamalanathan has also stepped into the affair to expedite its resolution.
