KUCHING: The nine schools in Sarawak placed under the Education Ministry’s hotspot list have been urged to work closely with police and government agencies to tackle disciplinary problems among students.
State Education Department director Rakayah Madon said establishing greater cooperation with the police could help the schools to “tone down” problematic students.
Rakayah also said the schools should not just expel students with disciplinary problems.
“The schools must make the effort to nurture good values in students deemed as problematic.
“We fear that these students will get involved in other problems outside schools if disciplinary problems are not addressed,” she told the New Straits Times.
Rakayah, however, said the disciplinary problems among students at the nine schools were under control.
One of the nine schools placed under the ministry’s list is a secondary school in Sri Aman.
It was reported that a Form One student at the school was hospitalised after he consumed fried noodles offered by his classmate on July 20.
Checks showed the food had been mixed with roach poison. The case took a surprising twist when the grandfather of the perpetrator claimed the victim had bullied his grandson by extorting money and food on a daily basis.
Both students were temporarily suspended until July 31. At press time, police are still waiting for a report from the Chemist Department before deciding on the next course of action against the suspect.