School liaison officers play a vital role to ensure students' safety, says Wong

PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry will work closely with the police to enhance the role of liaison officers in schools to ensure students' safety, says Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.

"Every school has a liaison officer who will help ensure students' discipline and safety in the school.

"The safety and welfare of school students is of paramount importance to the Education Ministry," he told reporters after presenting the 2023 Education Ministry-Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM)-Milo Awards, here on Thursday (May 23).

He also said that there are 10,231 schools nationwide with a corresponding number of liaison officers.

He was responding to a Malay daily report on Wednesday (May 22) stating that several secondary school students were injured after being beaten with plastic chairs by thugs for refusing to join a gang.

He said should any issue arise requiring police involvement, the Education Ministry would collaborate with authorities for a thorough investigation.

"If similar incidents occur at school like the one reported yesterday, students are advised to report it to the school and district education department offices (PPD) so appropriate action can be taken," he said.

Meanwhile, Wong presented awards for 12 categories of students, teachers, coaches and ministry officers.

Introduced in 1968, the KPM-MSSM-MILO Awards is an initiative to reward students who excel in sports and those who contribute to sports development in schools.