Student’s death sparks safety action

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry is taking action following an accident outside a school in which a student was killed after being run over by a lorry.

Its minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the ministry would work with police on traffic conditions in front of schools, especially those with entrances near a main road.

At a separate event, in Sungai Siput, Perak, Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan urged the Road Transport Depart­ment (JPJ) and safety authorities to take stern action against motorists who speed in school zones.

“The ministry will look into improving safety measures but in the most recent incident, the driver was speeding without heeding the signs, even in the presence of a road safety guard,” he said.

Both were commenting on the accident involving a Year Five pupil from SK Telok Medan who was crushed by the lorry on Wednesday.

The incident happened at about 7.20am when 11-year-old Mohamad Haikal Helme, from Kampung Parit Gabis Atas, was crossing the road to the school at the 103km mark on the Ipoh-Butterworth road.

Mahdzir, who was speaking after presenting tablets to four teachers from the Federal Territory district yesterday, said there had been many accidents outside schools in the past few months.

Kamalanathan said he was disappointed that there were irresponsible people who put the lives of students at risk whenever they entered and exited a school area.

“This is unacceptable. Action must be taken against such irresponsibility,” he told reporters after handing out bursaries to students under the Lafarge Schools Project yesterday.

On another issue, Mahdzir said the ministry was investigating the case of a headmaster and teacher who were caught kissing in a video that had gone viral.

“The investigation papers are not ready yet,” he said, adding that the ministry would work with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission on the matter.