KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 913 teenagers, some as young as 13, tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) from 2018 to 2022, says Fadhlina Sidek.
The Education Minister said this was based on information provided by the Health Ministry and involved syphilis, gonorrhoea, chancroid and HIV.
"Based on the notification of the Health Ministry, STD among 13 to 17-year-old students showed 255 cases were recorded in 2018.
"Whereas in 2019, a total of 225 STD cases were recorded," she said in a written reply to Dr Hajar Halimah Ali (PN-Kapar) in Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Oct 30).
She added that a total of 191 STD cases were recorded in 2020, 96 cases in 2021 and 146 last year.
Fadhlina also said some three per cent of students who underwent urine tests in 2019, tested positive for drugs.
She said the percentage dropped to 2.16% in 2020 with no urine test carried out in 2021 due to home-based teaching and learning.
"In 2022, a total of 1.18% of students who underwent urine test were positive while as of September this year, a total of 0.64% tested positive," she added.
She said the urine tests were carried out by the Education Ministry and the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK).
Meanwhile, Fadhlina said that the number of school dropouts revealed a decreasing trend over the past five years between 2018 and 2022.
She said the percentage of school dropouts reduced from 1.21% in 2018 to 0.99% in 2022.
Last year, 4.66% of the total number of dropouts were involved in negative activities while 4.53% were recorded as of September this year.
Based on the Student Discipline System (SSDM), she said such activities include bullying, truancy, smoking, obscene behaviour and mischief, among others.
