IPOH: An internal investigation by the Education Ministry will be conducted on claims that the families of the two Teacher Training Institute students who drowned in Sungai Petani, Kedah, on Saturday (April 4) were not informed of the incident.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the matter would be investigated from all angles.
"Investigations by the police are being carried out and we will leave it to them.
"We will also carry out internal investigations on all the issues that arise," he said in a press conference after a school bus handover ceremony at SMK Raja Permaisuri Bainun here on Monday (April 6).
"I've gone to the institute in Kangar to be together with the children involved and listened to them," he said, adding that the internal investigation has already started.
Two students from the Teacher Training Institute Perlis Campus, Christopher Ling Jia Siang, 21, from Kuching, and Joey Ling Lin Siang, 20, from Sibu, drowned while kayaking in Pantai Merdeka at about 7.30pm.
There had been claims that the families were not informed of the incident and they had only learned about the matter from the news.
Wong also said a directive has been issued to all institute campuses to temporarily halt all extreme and water activities.
"This is to ensure that parents whose children are at the institutes can be calm," he said.
On the bus that was presented to SMK Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Wong said it was a new vehicle to replace the school's old bus, which had been in used for 31 years.
He said the new bus was a 40-seater, which can be used for various purposes and needs of the school.
Wong also announced an allocation of RM50,000 from the ministry to upgrade the surau in the school.
