Stop means stop: Fadhlina (front row, second from left) with participants after launching an anti-bullying campaign at Yayasan Aman in Penanti, Bukit Mertajam. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
BUKIT MERTAJAM: About 700 schools, including boarding schools, have undergone safety audits to date, says Fadhlina Sidek.
The Education Minister said the process would continue over the next month or two, covering more than 10,000 schools nationwide.
“This is an important initiative that reflects the ministry’s commitment to ensuring our schools continue to receive due attention, particularly in terms of safety,” she said.
Fadhlina added that the audit would provide valuable insights and a clearer focus on areas requiring improvement, especially concerning the well-being and safety of students and school communities.
She also stressed the importance of having medical teams on standby during sports events.
“Our focus will be on overall safety; this includes the type of support provided, as well as the readiness of medical teams who are on standby for every match,” she said.
Fadhlina reminded parents to inform schools of any medical conditions affecting their children, adding that health checks for students had long been mandatory.
Fadhlina expressed her deepest condolences to the family of the student who died during the National-Level Fully Residential School (SBP) Rugby 7s Tournament last Friday.
A post-mortem revealed that the Form Four student had died from internal bleeding caused by a torn psoas muscle.
Following the tragedy, the tournament was cancelled and postponed to allow space and support for the affected family. It will now be held from Jan 28 to Jan 31 next year.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina expressed concern over the alarming rise in child abuse cases in Penang and called for a united and sustained effort to protect children.
She said the nearly 700 cases recorded between January and August were “serious” and demanded a holistic response from both the authorities and the public.
“Even if only one child becomes a victim, it is still our collective responsibility as a society to act and protect them,” she said after launching an anti-bullying campaign at Yayasan Aman here yesterday.
Fadhlina urged the public to stay alert to signs of abuse and to report cases immediately.
“I urge everyone to be truly aware and vigilant about what constitutes child abuse, and to take responsibility in protecting these children,” she added.
According to the Women, Family and Community Deve-lopment Ministry, 697 child abuse cases were detected in Penang in the first eight months of this year, with North Seberang Prai alone recording 184.
The ministry stated that the high number of cases was the result of an advocacy effort dubbed “Kasih Kanak-Kanak”, which increased public awareness of child abuse and encouraged reporting.
