School need not tell everything to parents, says Seri Pristana PTA chief

Non-Muslim students of SK Seri Pristana were allowed to eat at their canteen back again yesterday. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, July 25, 2013.In an about turn, SK Seri Pristana Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) president Hussein Mohd Ariff said the school authorities had the right to decide on the makeshift canteen without informing the school children's parents.

He also admitted today the majority of parents were not told that the shower room was going to be made an extension of the canteen.

"The school has the right to choose what it wants to disclose to the parents and this includes the decision to open up the shower room as a makeshift canteen," Hussein told The Malaysian Insider in Kuala Lumpur today.

"It is not up to us to meddle with the school administration. We are there to support and raise funds for their programmes."

In an earlier interview, Hussein told The Malaysian Insider that the parents were informed, at a PTA meeting, of the school's decision to use the shower room.

He had said school headmaster Mohd Nasir Mohd Noor made the announcement and sought feedback from parents.

Hussein had said that since there were no objections raised by the parents, the school went ahead with the plan which took effect in March.

"We believe the school authorities studied all available options before doing this.

"It is not so much about getting permission from parents but whether it is in accordance with the school's guidelines. We believe that the school did this purely in the best interest of the pupils," Hussein said.

He also refuted allegations of a cover-up by the school or the PTA.

"I am the one who is caught in between, whether I should have informed the parents.

"There were no complaints or grouses from the parents until the matter was blown up. Now I have to react," Hussein said.

He also said he could not recall if the headmaster has announced in detail at the PTA meeting the plan to use the shower room as a canteen.

On the issue of the canteen being closed during the fasting month, Hussein said that it was up to the canteen operator as it involves operational costs.

"However the school and the District Education Department will have to be notified if the canteen is closed for the fasting month."

The school was put in the spotlight after photographs of non-Muslim pupils eating in the shower room began circulating in Facebook.

Parents kicked up a storm while the school claimed that the shower room which was used as the canteen was under renovation.

This prompted a visit to the school by Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Learning II P Kamalanathan who had said that the "issue has been resolved" with the headmaster issuing an apology.