Ministry investigation ongoing

PETALING JAYA: Education Ministry officials visited a school in Damansara yesterday to investigate the report by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) that a volunteer scoutmaster had molested five schoolgirls.

"We have also requested the ministry to check with the other schools that the scoutmaster is currently volunteering at," said the PTA chairman, who requested anonymity.

He expressed his disappointment from certain quarters that blamed the school for not conducting a thorough background check on the suspect.

"Even if we did interview him and him providing all the necessary certificates, it is not written on his forehead that he is a paedophile," he said.

He said the PTA has met with parents of all the remaining girl scouts on Feb 10, asking them to speak to their daughters if there were more affected.

"Five more parents came forward, but they said they would refuse making a police report even if their daughters had been involved," the chairman said.

He was also unhappy with some online portals for reporting that the girls were "raped".

"No doubt, molestation is serious but this is not rape. This different understanding could leave a different impact to the girls in the future," he said.

He said the suspect's 15-year-old daughter is now suffering mental stress in returning to school.

"We understand she cannot face her classmates' teasing everyday and we are ready to transfer her to another school. The last thing we want to hear is her being pressured enough to commit suicide," the chairman said.