Mahdzir: Hotspot list not a bad label

‘Disciplinary hotspot’ inventory meant to improve schools, says Education Minister

IPOH: The Education Ministry is using the “hotspot” list as a way to reduce disciplinary problems and not as a means to label the schools involved as problematic.

Parents, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, should not feel aggrieved because the list was meant for schools to improve their disciplinary records.

“I believe these 402 schools can be changed and our aim is to make things positive.

“These schools have a key perfor- mance index (KPI) to fulfil.

“There is no time frame, as we will monitor them from time to time.

“We have a team that does this assessment,” he told reporters after opening the Ipoh Timur Umno division meeting yesterday.

Mahdzir was responding to questions on the list of “hotspot” schools around the country, which was recently leaked.

Of the 402 schools, 311 were under Category 1 for disciplinary problems and 91 under Category 3 for disciplinary and drug issues.

Under Category 3, Kuala Lumpur topped the list with 22 schools while Selangor was top for Category 1 with 67 schools.

Four primary schools were also on the list, with three in Melaka and one in Penang, all of them under Category 1.

The list was discussed at a meeting between ministry officials, the police, representatives from the parent-teacher associations and non- governmental groups in Putrajaya on June 24.

On another matter, Mahdzir, who is an Umno supreme council member, said the party believes that urban voters would show their support for Barisan Nasional in the general election.

Calling this a promising sign, he said parliamentary constituencies won by the Opposition saw less progress and that people now realise that this was not doing much to help their welfare.

“In the 2008 and 2013 election, urban voters, regardless of race, decided to choose the Opposition, but these people will eventually come back to us.

“We have a proven track record when it comes to service for the welfare and development of the people.

“Many claim that we are only concerned about rural folk, but the Government is coming up with programmes and plans for urban people as well,” he said.