KULIM: The Home Ministry, Education Ministry and Health Ministry must strengthen cooperation and information sharing to address various security issues and create a safe school ecosystem, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said the three ministries cannot work in isolation when dealing with various issues that arise in schools.
He said this was among matters discussed during a meeting of the Police-Education Minsitry consultative committee, held last week at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol).
"One of the points I raised concerns student profiling. For instance, there are students who require treatment and consultation with a psychiatrist, yet the school authorities lack access to such information, which is held by the Health Ministry," he said.
He made these remarks to reporters after attending the 'Semarak Kebudayaan Masyarakat Kedah Bersama PDRM 2026' programme here on Saturday (Nov 7).
He was asked to comment on media reports regarding the arrest of two teenagers who allegedly supplied drug-laced vape to a student in Negri Sembilan.
Saifuddin Nasution said collaboration among the three ministries is crucial, given that the school security ecosystem encompasses approximately 5.2 million students across 12,000 schools nationwide, a situation that necessitates information-sharing and integrated action among relevant agencies.
Meanwhile, he noted that vaping among students was a concern as vape liquids may contain a variety of substances.
He said some substances could contain toxic components that have not been classified as poisons, which creates challenges for police investigations and bringing cases to prosecution.
He said existing collaboration between the police and schools, which includes the deployment of police liaison officers and the involvement of the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) needs to be expanded to also include the Health Ministry.
"The issue is not limited to vaping among students; it also encompasses various other activities, such as bullying and accidents occurring within school premises," he said. – Bernama
Schools, Security, Home Ministry, Students, Vaping, Education Ministry, Health Ministry
