Student training to be reviewed

Civil Defence Force will revise training modules

KUALA KANGSAR: The Civil Defence Force will relook its training modules involving primary school pupils wading through muddy pits.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the whole programme, which involved several other uniformed bodies, would not be suspended but the specific module would have to be re-examined.

He said among the suggestions was training teachers on the modules for them to train their pupils later.

“However, the teachers also have their own constraints.

“Therefore, we will need to carry out a brainstorming session to get to the best solution,” he told reporters after meeting with SK Beluru school authorities, parents, the pupils involved, and top officials from relevant departments yesterday.

During the bootcamp held at its Kuala Kangsar headquarters last weekend, primary schoolgirls were asked to wade through a muddy pit with snakes in it.

The event was jointly organised by the force and school.

Shahidan added that the assistant trainer who threw the snakes into the pit had been suspended from all force duties, while nine others were suspended from training programmes involving schools.

“Throwing snakes into pits is not part of our module. Obviously, the parents and teachers are not going to give their consent,” he added.

On claims that the pupils were taken to a cemetery at 2am, Shahidan said this was not true.

Shahidan said the teachers, parents and pupils had no ill-feelings towards the force, but outsiders made the issue big when the video went viral.

“The video was taken by one of the teachers, who also happens to be the wife of one of the personnel involved.

“The intention was to show the school headmaster what was going on, but someone made that video viral. Police are investigating that aspect of it,” he added.

On Wednesday, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said organisers of such activities were now required to give details of their programmes to the district education office for approval.

He added that the pupils had also gone through counselling arranged by the Perak Education Department and Kuala Kangsar District Education Office.

Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said police believed there were abusive elements in the video as schoolgirls should not have received such training.

“They are only primary school students. They should not be given training as though they are army or police officers,” he said after launching the Samsung Smart Library at the Police Training Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Khalid said the police would carry out a thorough investigation and urged the person who recorded the video to come forward to assist in the investigation.