PUTRAJAYA: More than 300 children previously under the care of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) will attend special classes conducted by the Education Ministry from Oct 1.
The children will be given formal education based on a module that has been used before, says minister Fadhlina Sidek.
“We are deeply committed to ensuring that these children receive a proper education.
“Therefore, we take responsibility in guaranteeing their educational progress.
“We are concerned that they may fall behind (in their education) pending the police probe (into GISB),” she told reporters after the ministry’s monthly assembly here yesterday.
Fadhlina said the first phase of the initiative will be for two months, during which the children will remain at welfare institutions under the authorities’ protection and supervision.
“If necessary, the programme will be extended to a second phase in the following months.
“At this stage, the children will not be placed in mainstream schools yet, as they need to undergo assessments, including aspects of the 3Rs (reading, writing, arithmetic), as well as their psychosocial well-being,” she said, adding that the children are currently undergoing counselling.
On the special module, Fadhlina said that it will be structured around three cohorts: preschool, primary and secondary levels.“In the context of this module, there will be teacher rotations and interventions from time to time,” she said.
On Sept 11, Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department launched an operation codenamed Op Global, under which 20 GISB-owned care homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan were raided.The operation saw the rescue of 402 children and teenagers comprising 201 boys and 201 girls aged between one and 17 years.With the operation currently in its fourth phase, the number of those rescued nationwide has risen to over 500.
