Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution says School Liaison Officers monitor all aspects of student safety, including incidents beyond bullying.
KULIM: School Liaison Officers (PPS) play a broader role than addressing bullying, as they are also responsible for monitoring all aspects of school safety, including incidents involving students, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
He said the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) would continue strengthening its monitoring efforts through the deployment of School Liaison Officers nationwide.
“When it comes to safety, we have School Liaison Officers comprising police personnel. In addition, the Home Ministry also deploys officers from the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) to schools, where they are tasked with monitoring various aspects of students’ wellbeing and safety.
“So, it is not just about bullying but also other incidents that may occur. For example, the recent case involving a student who fell at a school in Kuala Nerang, which is still under police investigation,” he told reporters when asked about bullying cases involving school students, including a recent incident in Cheras that went viral on social media.
Saifuddin Nasution was speaking after inspecting the hostel building of Sekolah Menengah Agama Tarbiah Diniah near here, which was damaged in a fire early yesterday morning.
He said School Liaison Officers comprise police personnel from district police headquarters or nearby police stations who work closely with schools, parents and students through various engagement programmes.
The initiative has been implemented nationwide as part of PDRM’s efforts to ensure schools remain a safe environment for students, he said.
On the hostel fire, Saifuddin Nasution said 116 students were affected after the building was destroyed in the blaze, which broke out at about 2.30 am yesterday.
“Our immediate response is to provide RM500 in cash assistance to each affected student. From those I managed to speak to, some were left with only the clothes they were wearing after losing all their belongings. We hope this assistance will help them replace their school essentials.
“At the same time, with the Prime Minister’s agreement after I briefed him on the incident earlier today, I have requested an immediate allocation of RM200,000 to construct temporary accommodation,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution said the National Registration Department (NRD) would also deploy its mobile service to the school to help affected students replace identity cards destroyed in the fire free of charge.
“The message we want to convey is that the MADANI Government places the highest priority on responding to incidents like this because they affect facilities used by our children in school.
“We will do our utmost to utilise available emergency allocations through the State Development Office to ease the burden on these students, particularly in helping them replace their school and learning equipment,” he said.
He added that his office had also contributed RM10,000 to the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).
