KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — The Education Ministry has vowed stern action if it finds truth in allegations that teachers in SK Seri Pristana have been harassing pupils over the old shower room-canteen fiasco last month.

In a statement reported by The Star today, the ministry said it is currently investigating the claims, which were made recently by several parents of students from the school.

The ministry also denied that three students had transferred out of the school since the incident, and insisted that only one had requested for such a transfer.

“Based on our investigation, only one pupil had requested for a transfer from the school. It is entirely up to parents to choose which school to enrol their child in.

“However, if claims that the school administration or teachers had caused an unwelcoming environment or harassed any pupil are true, stern action will be taken against those involved.

“The ministry is currently investigating the validity of these allegations,” the ministry was quoted saying on The Star.

Earlier this week, parents of 10 non-Muslim students of the school announced that they would transfer their children out after the arrest of one of the parents, V. Kumancan, for allegedly threatening the headmaster over the “shower room-canteen” incident.

This, they said, comes on the heels of the decision by the parents of three other students who purportedly transferred their children out over the school administration’s handling of the debacle.

The angry parents had questioned the police’s move to arrest the 32-year-old father, who has since been released on police bail, when 18 police reports had been made against the headmaster with no action taken.

The reports were made after photos circulated in social media showing non-Muslim students eating in the school’s shower room during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Some parents have claimed there are those in the school who are now out to learn the identities of those involved in triggering the public storm over headmaster Mohd Nasir Mohd Noor’s decision to use the shower room as a temporary canteen for the students.

“Kamu budak jahat, pasal kamu semua, name sekolah terjejas (You are naughty children, because of you all, the school’s name is jeopardised),” a parent, who wished to be known only as Raj, recounted a teacher’s alleged words to his daughter following the controversy.

He told The Malay Mail Online that the first of many such alleged incidents took place after a morning assembly, when the “Penyelia Petang” (afternoon supervisor) singled out the children.

Raj said this may be because only the non-Muslim students in the afternoon session ― those in Standards Two, Three and Four ― ate in the shower room; he said the older non-Muslim students in the morning session had opted to eat elsewhere, such as at staircases instead of the “smelly and dirty” bathroom.

Another parent, who asked to be known only as Devi, 45, said that while her son has not been harassed, she is seriously considering transferring him elsewhere after the end of this school year, fearing that he would be targeted next.

“But we don’t know what about the future, it seems to be that there is no solution to this problem, it will just go on and on,” she told The Malay Mail Online over the phone.

“I don’t know how the headmaster and the teachers are going to behave with the kids, (there is) no guarantee the teachers are going to be okay with them.”

There are fewer than 30 non-Muslim students in the primary school of about 1,300.