Court reinstates Muslim teachers’ suit over vernacular schools

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: The High Court in Kota Bharu today allowed an application to reinstate a suit filed by a Muslim teachers group to challenge the existence of vernacular schools in Malaysia.

Lawyer Shaharudin Ali, who is appearing for Ikatan Guru-Guru Muslim Malaysia, said judge Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh allowed the application to revive an orginating summons that was struck off on Oct 25 last year.

“The court has fixed Feb 28 for the next case management on the application by the Attorney General’s Chamber to transfer the case to a High Court judge in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

The intention of the application is to consolidate all such cases to a judge in Kuala Lumpur.

Shaharudin said his client would oppose the government’s application because “we take the position that the judge in Kota Bharu has the jurisdiction and is competent to determine the constitutional issues posed to the court.”

The plaintiff, Mohd Azizee Hasan, the group’s president, filed the suit on behalf of his organisation in February last year. He is challenging the constitutionality of Sections 17 and 28 of the Education Act. He named the education minister and the government as defendants.


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