Treacherous path: Students boarding a boat to cross the Malaysia-Thailand border to school via the illegal base route. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian pupils living in Thailand who have to cross Sungai Golok via illegal bases every day to go to school in Malaysia will be placed in hostels.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said talks are being held with the pupils’ relatives to place them in suitable dormitories to guarantee their safety and ensure their education can continue.
She said the action was among initial steps following the decision of the National Security Council meeting last Sunday to enforce a ban on crossing the border using illegal bases along Sungai Golok, starting Dec 1.
“The matter must be resolved before Dec 1, so I have asked the director-general to ensure that the Kelantan Education Department provides the dormitories.
“This is a very crucial and significant action for us to implement to ensure their safety is guaranteed and they can continue their education,” she told a press conference after the launch of the Sahsiah Ambassador Kit here yesterday.
Fadhlina said other measures include ensuring the pupils involved have valid passes to cross the border route that has been gazetted, Bernama reported.
Earlier, the media reported that nearly 500 pupils from Thailand use illegal bases to cross Sungai Golok every day to go to school in Malaysia.
These are the Jambu, Ibrahim Pencen and Paun bases, with boats charging pupils RM1 to cross the border.
In another development, Fadhlina said her ministry will not compromise with any administrators, including school principals, found to be hiding cases of pupils involved in drugs.
She said that based on the standard operating procedure (SOP), every disciplinary case involving a crime must be reported to the district education office and the state education department before the school begins discussions with parents and the community.
“Cases cannot be hidden; they must be reported. We have asked them to pay attention to this issue,” she said in reference to drug trafficking syndicates that are now targeting schoolchildren, including those in rural areas.
Earlier, Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department director Datuk Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad, when speaking at the event, said the involvement of pupils in criminal cases is increasing, especially in bullying and gangsterism.
He said from January to June, 237 pupils were detected in violent crimes such as rioting, extortion, brawling and mischief.
The same period also saw 799 pupils reporting being rape victims.
“Although the number is small compared with the actual number of primary and secondary school pupils, which exceeds five million, it is important to take preventive action to prevent any increase,” he said.
