IPOH: The Education Ministry needs to establish a standard operating procedure (SOP) on periodic inspection of school buildings and their facilities.
Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said this following an incident involving a female student in Selama who suffered a broken finger when a ceiling fan in her classroom fell on her yesterday.
He said he had been told that a report would be submitted to the district Education Office director regarding the case.
"We hope all schools will regularly check their facilities including electrical equipment so that everything is in a good and safe condition.
"Sometimes not only the fan, but the ceiling board can come loose due to its dilapidated condition.
"I hope there will be an SOP introduced by the ministry to ensure similar incidents do not recur," he told reporters after the launch of the state-level Innovation Day Celebration at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here today.
Yesterday, three 8-year-old primary school girls in Selama here suffered injuries when a ceiling fan fell and hit them.
It was learnt that the incident happened at 10am.
One of the pupil's fathers said his daughter who sat under the fan broke her finger and had chest injuries after being hit by the fan.
The civil servant who wanted to be known only as Mohamad said he had been to his daughter's classroom and had seen the dilapidated condition of the ceiling fan.
This was not the first incident that has happened to students due to poor condition of school facilities.
On Aug 9, at least two students of SMK Melor in Kota Baru, Kelantan, were injured and three others were traumatised after the school's water tank burst.
The incident occurred about 10am near the school's pedestrian pathway and all the students were sent to Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) and a nearby clinic for treatment.