Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR: The Sabah education department has come out in defence of a public high school over allegations that it prohibited Christian students from wearing the crucifix, saying there is no such ban.

A local daily reported yesterday that Sabah Education Department director Datuk Jame Alip had said the department had never banned anyone from wearing religious symbols in schools.

“Students can wear crucifixes or other religious symbols, provided they are not too big or meant for ‘accessorising’,” he was quoted as saying. He said that the school had never banned anyone from wearing religious symbols.

But the English daily reported that parents were required to inform the school and fill up some forms to allow a student to wear religious symbols, including the crucifix, to school.

The school principal said this was to curb an increasing number of students wearing necklaces and other accessories in school for reasons other than religious use.

On Monday, the Sabah newspaper Daily Express reported that students of Sekolah Menengah Ken Wah in Keningau were prohibited from wearing the crucifix unless they obtained permission from the school’s disciplinary board.

It said the regulation came under the personal hygiene category. Among others, one of the rules is that sudents are not allowed to wear jewellery and religious symbols.

A concerned parent told the media that he came to know about the regulation after attending a briefing for parents of newly enrolled students on Nov 7.

“Her explanation about make-up, jewellery and hair was normal for any school but I was taken aback when the teacher said that students are also not permitted to wear the crucifix without getting prior approval from the disciplinary board,” the parent said. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 3, 2014.

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