TEACHERS are better suited to be appointed as wardens for boarding schools under the Education Ministry, says Wong Kah Woh.
The Deputy Education Minister said the ministry also welcomed the proposal to appoint retired police and army officers as full-time wardens which is currently being done under a pilot project at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM).
“The ministry is under the opinion that wardens for boarding schools not only serve as guardians but also loco parentis (in the place of a parent, in Latin) that could provide guidance in education, discipline and character development for students.
“The appointment of wardens from among teachers is also believed to enhance the trust and acceptance of both students and parents,” he told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Wong was responding to a question from Dr Halimah Ali (PN-Kapar) on measures to address the growing concern over bullying cases, including prevention mechanisms, monitoring, early intervention and firm action against offenders and negligent administrators.
Previously, MRSM was reported to have launched a pilot project to appoint full-time wardens from among retired army and police officers to strengthen discipline and curb bullying.
The implementation of this initiative will begin as a pilot involving selected MRSM campuses to assess its effectiveness.
However, the ministry clarified that it has no plans to appoint hostel wardens from among retired military and police personnel, as practised by MRSM.
On a similar topic, Wong said the number of hostel wardens for every 50 students has been increased to three.
This has raised the total number of wardens by 68.5% to 10,204 this year, compared with 6,055 in 2022.
He said the ministry has allocated RM3mil for the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) at 200 boardings starting Oct 13, this year.
Improving safety and security measures in schools including boarding schools is among the steps being considered by the ministry, Wong said, adding that surprise visits by the top leadership of the ministry and state education departments are also in the works.
“It will include surprise checks at night at hostels to assess compliance with the prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs),” he said.
