SIK: Kedah Education Department is working closely with community leaders and the police to curb disciplinary problems at schools in the state.
The state Education Department's school management sector head Rozaini Ahmad said thanks to the cooperation, there were no serious disciplinary cases recorded in the state this year.
However, he said more focus would be given to address truancy among students, which emerged as the most common disciplinary issue.
He said the department believed that by curbing truancy, disciplinary issues among students would be solved.
Rozaini said bullying and drug abuse cases also occurred in the state but the number was small and under control.
"Each school has its own method to curb the problem and once we are able to improve the students attendance, we will be able to solve other disciplinary problems," he told reporters after presenting disciplinary posters to headmasters and principals in Kedah at SMK Agama Sik here today.
The poster, which was launched by Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid in August, spells out penalties that await the students for committing serious disciplinary offences.
It also explains the laws related to disciplinary offences and criminal activities.
Earlier in his speech, Rozaini urged headmasters and principals to take heed of recent incidents of teenagers getting involved in serious criminal cases.
He said the arson attack that killed 23 lives at a tahfiz school in Kuala Lumpur, a teacher being beaten up by a student in Perlis and a son beating up his mother in Kuala Lumpur showed how much disciplinary problems had contributed to other social issues in the community.
"Many people have urged for more rehabilitation programmes as corrective measures for students with disciplinary problems.
"We are looking into it as among possible measures to further strengthen our efforts to solve disciplinary problems among our children," he said.