ISSUE OF ALLOWING SUSPECTED RAPISTS TO SIT FOR SPM: POLICY RATIONALITY AND PUBLIC SENSITIVITY

ISSUE OF ALLOWING SUSPECTED RAPISTS TO SIT FOR SPM: POLICY RATIONALITY AND PUBLIC SENSITIVITY

By: Khairul Faizi bin Ahmad Kamil

I feel compelled to express my view on the recent statement by the Minister of Education, YB Fadhlina Sidek, regarding the decision to allow four students involved in the rape of a junior student in Melaka to sit for the SPM examination on 3 November 2025, on the grounds that they “should not be deprived of their education.”

In my view, this decision requires thorough reconsideration from moral, psychological, and social justice perspectives. This issue is not merely about the right to education, but it also involves the sensitivity of the victim, the school community, teachers, and parents.

The four students were not only detained and remanded for a very serious offence, involving the crime of rape, video recording of the act, and its dissemination to others but their actions have caused deep trauma to the victim and have tarnished the dignity of the educational institution itself. Allowing them to return and sit for the examination within a normal school environment could cause emotional distress to the victim and to other students who are still undergoing psychological recovery.

The question is: is it appropriate for other students, especially the victim’s peers, to be forced to share the same examination space with individuals who have caused trauma to the school community? What assurance is there that their presence will not disrupt the emotional stability of other candidates?

I am of the opinion that these students should have been suspended from school immediately until the legal process is fully completed. If they wish to continue their studies and sit for the SPM, this could be done in a designated institution such as the Henry Gurney School, which is more appropriate for students involved in criminal cases.

The Ministry of Education must exercise greater caution when making statements on sensitive cases such as this. This is not merely about ensuring access to education, but also about justice for the victim and the psychological safety of other students. In managing the education system, moral consideration, societal sensitivity, and the principle of accountability must always be prioritised.

We hope that the Ministry will review this approach with wisdom, empathy, and fairness to all parties involved.

KFAK