THE Education Ministry must ensure online learning platforms for pupils remain a safe environment, without any sex videos being broadcast accidentally or otherwise, Teo Nie Ching said today.

The former deputy education minister said this in view of reports that Form 2 pupils at a secondary school in Kuala Lumpur started seeing explicit video on their screens while participating in a design and technology exam conducted via video conferencing platform Google Meet.

The teacher in charge had immediately ordered pupils to exit the virtual classroom, and conducted the exam online. 

Teo said the source of the explicit video was unknown and on how it came to be in the view of everyone on the platform. 

“Parents involved have expressed that this could only have been done by someone who had host capabilities. It is not known how this person gained access to the meeting,” said the Kulai MP, who was shocked by the incident. 

“We have been made to understand that the incident could be caused by an outsider obtaining the meeting link and therefore accessing the class to share contents that are inappropriate,” she added. 

She said the ministry should use all necessary resources and expertise to ensure safety of pupils in an online class and to work on methods that can ensure content shared on Google Meet platforms are safe. 

She also said the ministry must develop a standard operating procedure or guidelines that will help protect the online platform from being hijacked or hacked. 

She added that such an incident should not have happened, especially after almost two years of online classes due to the Covid-19 epidemic. 

“I urge the ministry to view this as a serious matter and to address the issue professionally without sweeping it under the carpet. 

“The potential for similar incidents to take place again is quite high,” she said. 

She also said that sharing of explicit videos with children might also be an offence under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017. 

“We cannot underestimate the severity of the issue. 

“I call upon the education minister to investigate the matter, constantly communicate about the development of the investigation with the public especially with parents involved and take proactive steps to ensure that online classes remain a safe platform for students.” – October 16, 2021.