Lee: Parents of ‘hotspot’ schools can help tackle issues

PETALING JAYA: Parents should not be alarmed if their child’s school is among the 402 schools on the leaked ‘hotspot’ list, said Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

“They should instead help the committee monitor the situation and take actions before any potential problem becomes too large to contain,” he said.

Parents should also help schools clamp down on bullying and drug abuse cases, he added.

“Family institution plays an important role as many students involved in such problems come from broken families,” said Lee in a statement.

Lee also said the MCPF will cooperate with the schools to help reacti- vate crime prevention clubs, especially those which were listed as problematic schools. Of the 402 schools, 311 were under Category 1 for disciplinary problems and 91 under Category 3 for disciplinary and drug issues.

The list was presented during a Committee on Students Disciplinary Problems meeting in June.

“I hope the Education Ministry could help explain to the management and the PTA of the schools involved as to why they were included in the hotspot list since some of them claimed it was unfair to do so.

“Ministry officials and the police should also visit the schools to carry a fair judgement,” he said.

A committee has been set up at the ministry level to address the problems with the cooperation of the police, PTAs, NGOs and the alumni of the schools concerned, noted Lee. He added that it must include all stakeholders, including school counsellors and mental health experts.

“This is important since there are reports of students with disciplinary issues who are unable to cope with stress and related mental health issues,” he said.