Education Ministry: Be sensitive and alert on content for school books

SEREMBAN: Deputy Education Minister Chong Sin Woon today urged all book publishers to be more sensitive and aware of the content in their text or exercise books provided for schools.
Chong made the call following the criticisms the ministry had received from the public and netizens, particularly animal lovers, on a diagram in a primary school book depicting a child throwing a stone at a dog to illustrate the word "throw".
"I need to clarify that the book is actually an additional one purchased by particular schools as it is not the standard textbook recommended and provided by the ministry.
"However, it is still unethical and improper for the publisher to illustrate any example for any word through such a way as it is very misleading in teaching our young children," Chong told reporters after handing out some 1,000 packets of 5kg rice to 500 families residing in Taman Desa Rhu, near here, today.
Chong explained that in normal circumstances, the ministry provided each school one textbook and one exercise book for every subject and any additional books that the schools purchased was at the discretion of the school heads.
The offending image was found in a Primary Three Chinese school Bahasa Malaysia book.