PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry will take over the education of more than 300 children previously under GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd's care.
Its minister, Fadhlina Sidek, said the children will be given formal education based on a special module structured around cohorts.
She said they have so far identified three cohorts for the first phase, which will run for two months: preschool, primary school, and secondary school.
"The Education Ministry will take over their (children previously under GISB care) education starting from Oct 1.
"The children placed in several of these shelters will be provided with formal education by the ministry, based on special modules we have implemented before. We are deeply concerned and highly committed to ensuring that these children can fully continue their education, as we fear they might fall behind during the investigation and throughout this process. Therefore, we take responsibility to guarantee their educational progress.
"There are several assessments that we need to carry out, including aspects of the three Rs (reading, writing, arithmetic), as well as their psychosocial well-being. Currently, they are undergoing sessions with counsellors.
"For safety reasons, their educational process will take place in the locations where they are protected," she told reporters after the Education Ministry's monthly assembly here today.
On Sept 12, police rescued 402 children during a police raid on 20 welfare homes belonging to GISB. The children allegedly faced various forms of exploitation.
Initial investigations following the crackdown on these homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan on Wednesday suggest that the children are fathered by GISB members.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the children should have attended school but instead received education within these homes.
Fadhlina added that the first phase would involve more than 300 children with teachers using a rotation system at the premises.
She said the ministry would also take further action to develop a long-term plan for these children, in collaboration with relevant ministries, once their status is finalised by the authorities to ensure that these children receive formal education in schools and are able to continue their learning appropriately and effectively.
Fadhlina explained that the special module concept is based on one of the models from the "Jom Belajar" Programme, specifically the Special Programme for Orang Asli Students (Prokhas), introduced by the Education Ministry to provide access to education for Orang Asli children living in remote areas who have never attended school.
It involves a concept of nucleus schools and satellite classes, which involves teachers from the nucleus schools teaching outside of traditional educational institutions.
The establishment of satellite classes, utilising existing facilities within the shelter premises, has been implemented to place these children according to their categories: Preschool, Stage 1, Stage 2, Lower Secondary, and Upper Secondary.
To meet the educational needs of the children, who have never been part of the national education system, the programme will utilise the Year 1 Transition Programme Kit and the Healthy Mind Intervention Programme Module (Prisma) for the first phase.
The Year 1 Transition Programme Kit emphasises the socioeconomic, cognitive, and physical aspects of the children to help them adjust, build self-confidence, and holistically prepare them, particularly in literacy and numeracy skills. The kit is structured into two phases: the Adjustment Phase and the Readiness Phase.