Minister: No need to close school canteens during Ramadan

Malaysiakini : There is no need for school canteens to be closed during Ramadan, said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek. She said educating non-Muslim students about the fasting month does not mean that they shouldn't get to have meals.

"Why should the canteens be closed? The non-Muslims will not be fasting. As such, they can go to the canteen and eat as usual. “They are part of Malaysia, let them carry on as usual," she said yesterday, as quoted by The Star. 

She said schools that want to close down canteens must get approval from their respective Parent-Teacher Associations.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, why educate the Non Muslim kids about fasting. All faiths have their respective periods of fasting, even the Juice!!!! You are still as blur as ever!!

In the past, there had been several incidents of non-Muslim students being forced into uncomfortable situations during Ramadan. In 2013, a primary school in Sungai Buloh forced non-Muslim students to eat in a shower room during the fasting month.

Later in 2015, a teacher at a school in Kedah allegedly told non-Muslim students to drink water in the washroom and to drink from the tap or their own urine if they did not have water.

Ramadan month is expected to start on Thursday.