Students to receive counselling
SUNGAI PETANI: The Education and Health Ministries will jointly provide counselling to students affected by the tsunami tragedy.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said his ministry was concerned over the psychological trauma the students were going through and did not want such side effects to affect them in the long run.
“We will co-operate with the Health Ministry which has formed psychiatric teams to provide counselling services to the affected families,” he told reporters after visiting SM Kota Kuala Muda, near here, yesterday.
Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Lee Kah Choon has recently said his ministry had set up psychiatric teams to provide counselling, especially to those who had lost their loved ones, in the affected states.
Hishammuddin said his ministry would use a special committee set up two months ago to monitor student’s problems and needs to deal with the mental health of the affected students.
On the poor turn-out among the affected students during the first day of school in Kedah on Sunday, he said teachers would be there to help them.
“The students have to realise that they must be back in school and continue with their studies,” he said.
Hishammuddin said students who had lost everything in the tsunami tragedy would be provided with books, uniform and other necessities.
He said his ministry had allocated about RM500,000 to repair four schools – SK Kuala Triang in Langkawi, SK Sri Maha Wangsa and SK Seri Kuala in Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah, and SK Tanjung Tokong, Penang – that were affected by the tsunami.
He said 1,542 out of the 2,086 affected students were from Kedah and the rest Penang.
In Balik Pulau, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim said the ministry would give financial aid to students affected by last Sunday’s tsunami.
He said primary pupils would receive RM200 each while secondary students would get RM300.
He also said they could go to school without wearing their uniforms for now while waiting for the Government to distribute the clothing.
“We are still trying to get all their names and we will try to help them as soon as possible,” he told newsmen after handing out financial aid to 23 pupils of SJK (C) Pulau Betong yesterday.
The 23 pupils were among the school’s 52 pupils affected in the disaster.
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