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Malaysia's Education Ministry has set up a task force to investigate allegations that a school principal in Johor had made racial slurs against her students. The headmistress was alleged to have made racist remarks to a multi-racial group of students during a pre-Merdeka celebration event on Aug 12, calling the non-Malays penumpang. About 50 parents and students have lodged reports against her. "We want to find out the facts. Right now, the reactions have been very emotional," said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. The task force would be headed by the ministry's deputy secretary-general (management), Dr Rosli Mohamed. As an interim measure, he said, the principal of the secondary school had been asked to go on leave, The Star reports. Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the measures taken by the ministry must be fair and based on facts. "There are contrasting claims on what she had said," he said after chairing a Cabinet committee meeting on human capital development. Muhyiddin said the ministry needed more details before taking further disciplinary action although the principal had apologised. In another development, MIC Youth has submitted a memorandum to the ministry urging action against the principal.

School principal under probe for 'racial slur' against Malay Indian students