No 'hotspot' schools in Sabah

SHAH ALAM: The Education Ministry has identified a total of 402 schools nationwide as hotspots for disciplinary and drugs problems, but none of Sabah schools are on the list.

Selangor topped with 76 schools on the list, which divided the schools into two categories, namely discipline (Category 1), and discipline with drug issues (Category 3).

The list stated that out of 76 schools in Selangor, nine were identified as having issues with drugs.

The second highest was Johor with 63 (including one on Category 3), followed by Negri Sembilan (40, with five on Category 3), while Penang and Pahang shared the fourth spot with 37 schools each.

There are 10 Sarawak schools and three Labuan schools on the list.

Out of 37 schools in Penang, nine were on Category 3, while Pahang had seven.

Despite having only 22 schools on the hotspot list, all of Kuala Lumpur’s problem schools were classified as having drugs issues.

Also high on Category 3 was Kelantan (12 out of 31 hotspot schools).

Putrajaya was on the bottom of the list with only two schools identified, while Labuan had three.

All the identified schools in Putrajaya and Labuan were on Category 1.

The New Straits Times reported it was furnished with the list by sources. It was later verified by officials close to the committee involved in its preparation.

The officials, however, declined to be named, citing that the list was only supposed to be for the ministry and police’s internal use in their joint-task force to tackle problems at the hotspots.

Sources said the list was presented by the ministry during a Committee on Students Disciplinary Problems meeting in June, which was also participated by representatives from police, Parent-Teacher’s Association, and non-government organisations.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid told Bernama Thursday night that they would apply the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) approach to address problems at the hotspot schools.

He said the hotspot schools were those that had been identified with problems on discipline, drug abuse and crime, as well as high absenteeism rates.

Mahdzir said a committee had been set up at the ministry level for the purpose and efforts to address the problems would be carried out with the cooperation of the police, parent-teacher associations, non-governmental organisations and the alumni of the schools concerned.

“The ministry will delegate power to the (education) directors to take further action , as well as set up similar committee at the state-level,” he told reporters.