Its chairman Azizah Mohd Dun said she was taking the allegations involving Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) schools seriously.
“Mara will not compromise on any misconduct involving those working for Mara, especially when it involves the safety of students at Mara educational institutions,” she said in a statement.
Azizah said strict action would be taken against those found guilty of misconduct to ensure a conducive and safe learning environment for women and children.
“Mara will give its full cooperation to the authorities to ensure the image and credibility of our educational institutions are preserved.”
FMT had earlier reported on current and former students detailing their experiences of “period spot checks”, being groped, and facing torment from teachers in public schools throughout the country. This included boys and girls of various races.
Former deputy women, family and community development minister Hannah Yeoh told FMT that checks on students’ menstrual cycles embarrassed the students and was a violation of child rights.
She said the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child had to be instilled in “every institution and layer of society” in the country.
“The women minister (Rina Harun) should immediately hold a meeting with the education minister and authorities for religious schools to investigate and put a stop to such violations, if true,” said Yeoh.
Meanwhile, former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching pointed out there was no official guideline that allowed teachers to conduct “period spot checks”.
Teo added that the education ministry had yet to issue any statement addressing the matter.
“One senior minister with two deputies, all males, come across as insensitive and not bothered by these horrific incidents,” she said in a statement.
She also said schools should be a safe place to educate children, instil good values and show love and humanity.
“Instead, we are humiliating our kids because it is as though we cannot trust them at school, the irony,” she said, referring to claims that many teachers believed their students were lying about their period to avoid prayers.
“There are many other ways to instil awareness of the obligations of praying and fasting, other than checking between their legs and looking for sanitary pads,” said Teo.