False posts about Malaysian education minister's resignation surface after spate of school violence
- Published on October 24, 2025 at 11:04
- 1 min read
- By Najmi Mamat, AFP Malaysia
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
Public pressure on education authorities in Malaysia has mounted following a series of violent incidents in local schools, but a claim that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek had resigned is false. The ministry told AFP she has not stepped down, and as of October 24, 2025, there are no official reports indicating she has done so.
A screenshot of a purported news graphic featuring an image of Fadhlina was shared on Facebook on October 19.
Malay-language text under her picture reads, "EDUCATION MINISTER FADHLINA SIDEK RESIGNS".
The post surfaced following mounting public pressure on the minister over her handling of multiple incidents of violence in schools, including bullying, murder and rape cases (archived here, here and here).
On October 22, Fadhlina received a memorandum on school safety issues from activists outside Parliament amid chants for her resignation, Malaysian newspaper The Star reported (archived link).
The memorandum called for comprehensive sex education based on child rights and international standards that emphasise the concepts of consent, personal boundaries and emotional literacy (archived link).
The same image was also shared elsewhere on Instagram and TikTok with another picture of Fadhlina.
However, the education ministry told AFP on October 23 that the circulating posts are "fake" and Fadhlina has not resigned.
AFP found no credible media outlets or official government statements announcing her purported resignation as of October 24.
The official Ministry of Education website shows she remains listed as the current minister (archived link).
AFP has debunked other false claims circulating in Malaysia that used doctored or fabricated news reports here and here.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
