KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — The Malacca Education Department has been instructed to investigate an allegation that a disciplinary teacher had called a primary school pupil a prostitute, said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap.

The remark was uncalled for, she told reporters today at the lobby of Parliament House.

A 12-year-old pupil from Batu Berendam, Malacca, lodged a police report yesterday alleging that her disciplinary teacher had called her a prostitute after mistakenly accusing her of being part of a group that had made noise and created trouble for another teacher.

It had been reported that the girl’s mother was told by the disciplinary teacher to transfer her daughter to another school. — Bernama