KOTA BHARU: A cancer-stricken wife to a teacher whose plight went viral on social media in October passed away at 9 pm yesterday.
Mohammad Izzuddin Izhar, 34, or Cikgu Din, posted the news on his WhatsApp status.
“My wife breathed her last at 9 pm tonight. Please forgive her if she had any wrongdoings. If she had any outstanding debts, please let me know,” he said in the post.
Cikgu Din’s wife, Nur Atiqah My Yusoff, 30, who was battling stage four cartilage cancer, passed away at Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Bharu.
A Facebook user known as Harima Abd Rahman posted about Cikgu Din, who was struggling emotionally and wanted to be transferred to Peninsular Malaysia to be closer to his ailing wife.
Cikgu Din, who was then stationed in Sarawak would travel fortnightly back and forth from Sarawak to Kota Bharu to be with his wife and applied for transfer when her condition worsened.
However, the application was unsuccessful as EgTukar (transfer application system for teachers) can only be assessed by those who have been in service for three years, which the post alleged has contributed to Cikgu Din’s struggles with depression.
The Facebook post caught the attention of Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who instructed Cikgu Din to be granted temporary placement in a school near his wife.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina expressed condolences over the passing of Nur Atiqah.
“I received the sad news of the passing of Nur Atiqah My Yusoff, the wife of Cikgu Mohammad Izzuddin Izhar (Cikgu Din) from Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Ming Wok in Kanowit, Sarawak,” she said in her Facebook post today.