Dept to probe if SOP was carried out by contractor

SEREMBAN: The Education Depart­ment is looking into whether or not the contractor engaged to mow the SMK Tuanku Abdul Rahman field in Gemas, where a Form Two student was killed in a freak accident, had followed procedure.

State Health and Education Committee chairman Datuk Shamsul­kahar Mohd Deli said contractors had to abide by strict conditions when operating in schools.

“They are only allowed to carry out such work at specific hours of the day to ensure the students’ safety.

“We also need to know what the students were doing in the field at that time,” he said at the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital mortuary.

Shamsulkahar was there to extend his condolences to 55-year-old Roslan Samat, the father of the deceased, Nor Afini Roslan.

Nor Afini, 14, died on the spot when a broken blade from a ride-on lawnmower sliced open part of her skull yesterday. Two other students were injured in the incident.

Shamsulkahar said Roslan accepted his daughter's tragic death as fate.

“He hopes the Education Depart­ment will investigate the matter and prevent a recurrence,” he said.

Shamsulkahar said the victim would be buried in Gemas after the post-mortem is completed.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan, when met at a separate event, said such machines should not be allowed on school fields when activities are being carried out.

“It should not be allowed when there are children present.

“We at the ministry convey our deepest condolences to the family of the victim,” he said.

SMK Tuanku Abdul Rahman parent-teacher association head Mohd Yusoff Ismail appealed to the public to stop circulating pictures of the injuries sustained by Nor Afini.