Ministry identifying hotspot schools in need of CCTVs
PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry is identifying hotspot schools with disciplinary issues to install closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) systems.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said CCTVs would curb security and behavioural issues at hotspot schools.
“We are studying (which) schools, especially those in high-risk areas, need CCTVs,” he said yesterday.
Kamalanathan said financially-sound schools that could afford to install CCTVs were welcome to do so.
It was reported last month that 100 schools would be equipped with centralised CCTV systems, which would be monitored by police.
Kamalanathan also gave the assurance that the privacy of students and teachers would not be infringed.
On another matter, he said Tamil school students could now take up Tamil Literature as a subject in school.
It will be offered as part of the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination for Form Four and Form Five students.
“(After) noting that there are students who are interested in taking up the subject, (it was decided that the) subject will be offered in schools.
“It was previously only offered as an examination subject.”
He said the ministry’s curriculum development division was drafting the curriculum for the subject, which would be implemented in 2020.
“This will involve students who entered Form One in 2017 and will be in Form Four in 2020,” he said.
Kalamanathan said 9,139 students had enrolled for Tamil subjects in this year’s SPM examination, compared with the enrolment rate of 3,139 students last year.
“The student passing rate rose to between 80 and 90 per cent last year, proving that students taking up Tamil subjects are showing more interest in the subject,” he said.