Cover image via Aziah Azmee/New Straits Times
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The Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) has called for the Form Five students accused of raping a female student in Melaka to defer sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination this year
PAGE chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said rape is a serious crime, especially when it allegedly involved multiple perpetrators in a school and the act was recorded as if it were a form of entertainment.
"Rape is an act of violence and far more serious than bullying. For PAGE, not all students can be saved. Such crimes are extremely serious and severe," Noor Azimah was quoted as saying by New Straits Times.
"Perhaps they can sit for the SPM during the resit session or next year. There's no need to rush it this year, as they must first face legal action," she said.
Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim.
Image via Aziah Azmee/New Straits TimesHer statement comes after Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the students would still be allowed to sit for their exams to uphold their right to education
Education director-general Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad had also said the four suspects, who have been expelled, would be allowed to sit for SPM at a separate location, not at their school, under police supervision.
Education director-general Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad.
Image via Mohd Fadli Hamzah/Berita HarianHowever, Noor Azimah stressed that the real issue extends beyond the exam, stressing that the gravity of the crime demands stronger action
"In the United States, such cases can be escalated and prosecuted as adult crimes, not merely as juvenile offences," she said.
She cited a case in Sabah last year where an SPM candidate was expelled immediately for smoking in the school toilet but still allowed to sit for the exam.
"But that was a disciplinary issue, not a crime. That's different. In my view, rape should not be treated the same way," she said.
