NIBONG TEBAL: The Kedah State Education Department (JPN) has been tasked with monitoring the condition and welfare of a teacher couple and their two children who were injured in the fatal bus crash that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students in Gerik, Perak.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the family of four, who were travelling in a Perodua Alza when it was reportedly rear-ended by the bus, are currently receiving treatment at Baling Hospital, Kedah.
“Their welfare is now under the ministry’s supervision and immediate assistance will be provided,” she told reporters during a visit to Universiti Sains Malaysia’s engineering campus for a Form Six student intake event today.
The crash occured early Monday morning when a chartered bus carrying UPSI students from Jertih, Terengganu to Tanjung Malim, Perak, veered off course and collided with the Alza driven by 37-year-old Mohd Lutfi Radzi.
Fadhlina also extended her condolences to the families of the victims, especially the UPSI students, describing the loss of life as a major blow to the future of the country’s teaching profession.
While the bus involved was privately chartered by students, she stressed that the ministry has strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place for student travel, including mandatory safety checks.
On a separate matter, Fadhlina said the event today also marked the launch of the Form Six University Campus Education Programme, a pilot initiative jointly implemented with the Higher Education Ministry involving Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
Under the programme, students will undergo 18 months of pre-university study in a university campus setting.
“A total of 100 places are offered at UKM and 60 at USM. Over 30 students have registered today and we expect more to fill the remaining places,” she said.
