Datuk Ahmad Maslan says black shoes will be more germ-ridden than the existing white footwear. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Former deputy minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan criticised the government’s move to introduce black shoes as part of school uniforms next year, claiming these would be more germ-ridden than the existing white footwear.

He also claimed to have used wash his shoes every day when he was in school.

“Black coloured school shoes. There are already ‘millions of germs’ nesting. Because they have never been washed. The dirt is not visible.

“If shoes are white, when I was young before, I washed daily. White plastic shoes. A pair each year. But daily, clean. This cleanliness education stayed with me until my old age now,” the Pontian MP wrote on Twitter.

Last week, Education Minister Maszlee Malik announced that students nationwide will switch to black school shoes starting from next year

He explained the move was to save costs for parents and to save time for students.