Printing banners and posting them in several National-Type Chinese Schools (SJKC) in the state was the work of a third party with mischievous intent, said Melaka Education, Human Resource, Science and Innovations exco, Noor Effandi Ahmad (above).

He said it was not done by the parents-teachers’ association (PTA) or the school board of governors, but a third party which did not have any connection to the schools.

“They printed many and hung them on the school fence on Saturday when the school was closed and the management staff not working. The local authorities should take down these banners.

“The schools, PTAs and school boards of all SJKC in Melaka are aware that parents have the right to choose whether the three introductory pages of jawi script with meaning in the Bahasa Melayu text book should be taught to Standard Four pupils or not,” he said in a statement today.

Noor Effandi said the third party which he did not name, is advised to stop the negative agenda as the people of Melaka are united and uphold racial diversity, and have lived in harmony for hundreds of years.

Yesterday, several photographs went viral on social media showing banners hung in several schools, with Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese words saying “This school does not agree to the Jawi script in the Bahasa Melayu curriculum.”

- Bernama