KUALA LUMPUR: Were you among the many Malaysians who had shared a viral post on a racist Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination question?
If you did, well, we’ve got some news for you. It’s fake.
The Education Ministry today denied that the question was among those included in the 2016 UPSR exams, as claimed on social media.
In a statement, it said investigations carried out by the Examination Board showed that the question did not appear in any of the UPSR 2016 question papers.
The ministry said it was disappointed with the claims, which was shared widely on social media.
“The Education Ministry is disappointed with this statement. All questions drafted by the Examination Board undergo a stringent assessment process to ensure that it is in accordance with the curriculum and fulfils the objective of the subject,” said the ministry.
“The ministry places utmost importance on racial harmony and national unity, especially in the context of examination questions,” it added.
The matter prompted Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan to lodge a report with the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today.
The minister also submitted three screen shots of individuals who had distributed the posting.
“MCMC has pledged to investigate the matter and take legal action against these irresponsible individuals who spread these false information.
“This should serve as a lesson to all social media users to not share news without first verifying their authenticity,” he said.