According to The Malay Mail Online, the Education Ministry confirmed that personal details of possibly 300,000 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) candidates were leaked to the public.
A police report was lodged by the ministry’s Daily School Management Division director Abdullah Mad Yunus yesterday at the Putrajaya police district headquarters (IPD).
Abdullah said that the data was purportedly leaked to a private higher learning institution for marketing purposes.
The data that was leaked include details about the students’ parents, their home addresses, phone numbers, and the monthly salaries of their parents. The institution would then use the data, which was considered private and confidential, and call the parents to promote their courses.
In a report by Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, Abdullah was quoted as saying:
The ministry had been aware of this issue since 30th December (Wednesday) and we have to find out the cause.
He said that the ministry is hoping that the police could conduct their probe and find the culprit behind the leaks. He added that they’re also checking whether the data was leaked from within or “other reasons which enabled the data to be obtained by outsiders”.
Abdullah said that the ministry could not determine the implications of the event, but so far, no parents have come forward with any concerns or complaints.
Sources: The Malay Mail Online, NST, Malaysia Kini.
