Deputy Education Minister Chong Sin Woon said Malay teachers being trained in Mandarin would be sent to national schools, not Chinese schools.
The Star reported Chong as saying that Chinese schools would not be affected in any way.
Chong was responding to a viral message and video which claimed that the ministry was sending non-Chinese teachers to learn Mandarin. The video showed a group of Malay teachers speaking fluent Mandarin in a debate-like setting, said The Star.
A caption in the video stated that these teachers, being trained in Beijing, would soon flood Chinese schools when they returned to Malaysia by replacing Chinese teachers and at the same time “wipe out” Chinese schools.
The message also claimed, according to the report, that these teachers would be the future headmasters of Chinese schools because they were more qualified compared with locally-trained Chinese teachers
The Star quoted Chong as saying: “These Malay teachers will not be sent to Chinese schools to teach.”
He urged people to be wary of such unconfirmed news.
Meanwhile, Chong was quoted as saying that the ministry, along with 13 Chinese education associations, was rolling out activities to boost the quality of education in Chinese schools.
Among the 13 are the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong), Federation of Chinese Associations (Hua Zong), and Dong Jiao Zong,
Chong said the activities included workshops to help teachers better prepare material ahead of lessons, a campaign for parents to drop the exam-oriented mindset and a programme to inculcate a reading culture among students.