Muhyiddin orders schools inspectorate to probe baling school

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin has ordered the Schools Inspectorate to investigate claims by five pupils of Sekolah Kebangsaan Telok Sira, Baling that they were not allowed to sit for the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination by their teachers. Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said if the allegations were proven to be true, action would be taken against the teachers involved or the headmaster. "I will be extremely disappointed if the claims are true," he told reporters after attending a gathering at the compound of the Kampung Sungai Bunyi mosque here Thursday. He also said that the five pupils would be allowed to sit for the examination at a later date if it was found they had indeed not been allowed to sit for it. He was commenting on newspaper report today which said the five were ordered by their teachers not to sit for the UPSR, ostensibly because they were weak in their studies and they feared their poor results might affect the school's performance in the examination. This is the second such case to surface this year. The first involved six pupils of a school in Bintangor, Sarawak who were locked up in a room to prevent them from sitting for the UPSR examination held earlier this month. However, Muhyiddin had ordered the six pupils be allowed sit for the examination at the earliest possible date.