KUANTAN: School administrators whose Pahang institutions have been identified as hotspots for disciplinary and drug problems by the Education Ministry have displayed mixed reactions to the news.
Some acknowledge that their schools face problems and that their own shortcomings may have contributed to the situation; while others say that they are perplexed as to why their schools appear in the list as their students are “innocent.”
A principal of one of the 37 Pahang schools listed under Category Three for “discipline and drug issues” said several students at his institutions are allegedly involved in drugs, but they were influenced by students who have already been expelled.
He said the expelled students later filed and won an appeal, allowing them to return to school to sit for their Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia (SPM) examination, while influencing other students with their bad habits.
"Some were influenced by their friends (outside of school), and it usually happens after school. But in the end, it is the school which gets the bad name. Maybe, schools should take stricter action against those involved in drugs," he said.
A senior teacher at a school located near a Felda settlement, meanwhile, said his institutions will have to consider conducting random urine tests on students to detect drug abuse.
He said in addition, most students at schools in Felda schemes go to class by motorcycle and he is not sure if they all have valid licence to ride their machines.
SMK Inderapura's Student's Affairs teacher, Mohd Ramlan Ramly, said he is clueless as to how the school made it onto the list, as there are no disciplinary problems among students there.
"I will have to clarify this with the district Education Office. As far as I am concerned, we do not have students with such problems," he said.
Meanwhile, Pahang Education Department deputy director Mohd Dzulkifri Nordin said the 37 hotspot schools have a higher incidence rate of disciplinary problems compared to other schools in the state.
He said apart from giving focus to schools on the list, the Department will continue to monitor all schools in Pahang to ensure that everyone, including teachers, plays their role effectively to prevent problems from worsening.
"The situation is not worrying, but the Department does not want the schools’ (problems to intensify).
“To tackle drug problems (for instance), the Department randomly conducts urine tests on students from selected schools. We are doing our part, with support from the police and the National Anti-Drugs Agency (Nada).
We will continue engaging district education officers and school principals to identify the root cause of problems and find long-term solutions," Dzulkifri said, adding that the presence of police liaison officers plays an important role in addressing the issues.
Meanwhile, a police spokesman said 52 secondary school students aged between 14 and 18 tested positive for drugs in Pahang between January and June this year.
It is learnt that most of them had consumed heroin and pil kuda (methamphetamine) and were later released on police bail so that they could return to school and resume their studies.
The New Straits Times yesterday released the full list of 402 hotspot schools nationwide with disciplinary and drug issues, as identified by the Education Ministry.