Need for tough action to help delinquents
THE Education Ministry recently stated that 400 schools were identified for having disciplinary issues. Students at these schools are involved in gangsterism, drug abuse and bullying.
Of these schools, 91 have been categorised as “hotspot” schools which means that they have more serious problems than the rest.
It only takes only a handful of students to bring down a school’s reputation but when that happens, it is hard to rub off the stigma. What can schools do then?
Generally school authorities will have numerous meetings with the school teachers and parents to resolve the matter. Some schools may even call in the police to help out if the problem is serious.
When schools have exhausted all their avenues of dealing with “problem” students and with no impact, the Education Ministry has to step in to help these schools.
The Education Ministry is now mulling over the idea of enrolling students with serious disciplinary problems in rehabilitation programmes in prisons.
There is a plan to send students who have been suspended because of serious disciplinary problems, either to prison or the Henry Gurney school.
Hopefully through the programme, the students will repent and turn over a new leaf.
A few months ago a pioneer batch of 60 delinquent students were taken on a tour to the Kajang Prison.
The visit was made possible with help from the Education Ministry and the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation. The purpose was to educate and inform the delinquent students of life in prison.
The 60 selected students aged between 14 to 16 were involved in gangsterism, playing truant, bullying and fighting.
They had a take of what life in prison was all about and were reminded repeatedly that “crime does not pay”.
The visit was a “reality check” and an “awakening” for it was an attempt to get them back to the right path.
In today’s society, teens and even young adults have no respect for law and order. This is indeed alarming and frightening.
Reports of youth being involved in all kinds of activities late at night, or in the wee hours of the morning, without the knowledge of their parents, is indeed frightening.
They are on the wrong side of the law and it is a rude wake-up call for the authorities.
Juvenile delinquents are involved in violent (murder, rape, gang robbery without fire arms) and property (theft of vehicles, snatch thefts and house break-ins) crimes.
According to crime statistics, there were 1,632 cases involving students last year, of which 542 were violent crimes and 1,090 were property crimes.
The highest number arrested were those aged between 16 and 18.
There is a great concern that these delinquents may influence other students in the school if nothing is done to rehabilitate them.
Many schools also have a tendency to sweep everything under the carpet to save their image.
But we have to bear in mind that by doing so, the schools are ignoring the problem.
Their students will continue being bad hats, integrate into society and bring more problems when they leave school in the future.
Therefore we need to implement rehabilitation programmes and other remedial measures to provide a new learning experience for these students.
The hardcore delinquents could be made to serve time behind bars, while a visit to prison should be enough to knock some sense for those with minor disciplinary problems.
Such measures, I think are necessary to ensure a future generation that’s free of social ills, crime and drugs.
When parents fail in their responsibility and duty to look after their children, schools will need to implement high-handed measures to curb juvenile delinquency and be actively involved in the social and moral development of students.