SARAWAK education authorities have brushed aside claims that the federal government directive preventing Christian students in dormitories within the state from going home for Good Friday last week was a religious curb.

The state’s Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Roland Sagah said stopping them from going back home was to preserve the Covid-19 “safe bubble” at hostels.

“The rule applies to all student boarders. It is not restricted to Christians only,” Sagah told The Malaysian Insight, following allegations made by Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii.

The DAP lawmaker – on hearing Christian students from a school in Serian were not allowed to go back home and celebrate Easter with their families – said the state Education Department and even district education offices should be given the power to make decisions under their jurisdiction based on local context.

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar, and a key religious holiday in Sarawak and Sabah.

Yii also said the department should be aware of celebrations that are important to the Christian community, adding that empowering and restoring greater autonomy to Sarawak “without being bound by federal circulars which may not be fully practical in a local context” is part of DAP policy.

Sagah, the Tarat assemblyman, accused Yii of politicising the issue, saying students were allowed to go to church on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

“Let’s not politicise religion but appreciate the reality of the situation,” he said.

In a statement, the department said it had consulted the schools management division and the office of the deputy director-general of education for advice before making its decision.

The department added that it had been advised to deny permission to return home for Easter, going on to say that its counterpart in Sabah had made a similar decision.

“Our guidelines stipulate that students in boarding schools are not allowed to leave the hostels, unless deemed necessary under the advice of the Ministry of Health for medical treatment.”

The department said, pending a new directive: “similar conditions will be in place for other celebrations as well.

“There was no directive to deny permission for students to attend church services for Good Friday or Easter Sunday, it was only permission for leave from the hostel back home that was not allowed.” – April 21, 2022.