PETALING JAYA: The Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) has requested Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to review its pedagogical approaches following the recent viral issue involving students dressed in costumes resembling members of a racial extremist group.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said pedagogy in learning must consider related matters and maintain certain sensitivities.
“Perhaps several opinions have been voiced. UiTM has already clarified the actual situation and outlined the steps they will take,” he told reporters after the fifth series of the Malaysia Madani Scholars Forum (FIM) here yesterday.
Zambry also said that there is no need for him as a minister to intervene in every issue involving students and higher education institutions that becomes controversial.
“I believe it is immature to demand that we intervene in everything. However, what’s most important is that when an issue like this arises, UiTM has the responsibility to explain it to the public,” he said.
UiTM, in a statement on Wednesday, clarified that the students wearing costumes resembling members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) were part of an academic assignment by UiTM Foundation Centre students for a presentation in the Contemporary Global and Legal Issues course.
UiTM said the assignment aimed to encourage critical thinking and raise student awareness of international human rights issues.
It added that lecturers and the faculty involved had ensured that the presentation was conducted in a controlled manner based on academic principles without touching on religious, cultural or racial sensitivities.
On Thursday, police confirmed that they had received a report on Wednesday regarding the viral video showing a group of UiTM Dengkil Foundation Centre students dressed in costumes resembling members of the KKK.
