Ministry gets input from Prisons Dept on student rehab program

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Education is getting input from the Malaysian Prisons Department on the possibility of implementing a rehabilitation programme for students with serious disciplinary problems directly in prison or lock-up.

Its minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the matter was still at the state of information gathering and feedback from teachers unions and parents besides the Prisons Department.

“Existing and ongoing programmes implemented by the Prisons Department involve students who have been sentenced by the court,” he said during question and answer time session at the Dewan Rakyat sitting yesterday.

He was replying to a question from Datuk Juslie Ajirol (BNLibaran) who wanted the ministry to explain the proposal to send students with serious disciplinary problems to undergo direct rehabilitation programme in jail or lock-up.

Meanwhile, Mahdzir said various programmes were implemented to reduce student disciplinary problems from time to time.

He said it included the Remaja Berwawasan programme implemented in collaboration with the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Royal Malaysia Police.

Replying to a supplementary question from Juslie on the statistics of students expelled from school, Mahdzir said 442 secondary school students nationwide had been subjected to such action since January due to disciplinary problems. - Bernama