TANJUNG MALIM: An investigation will be conducted into the water tank that burst at a school in Kelantan and injured five students, the Education Ministry announced.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the ministry took a serious view of the matter and did not want any such recurrence.
“Schools need to check their water tanks regularly to prevent a similar incident.
“Regular maintenance should be conducted to prevent incidents that can harm students. Our utmost priority is the safety of students,” he told reporters after conducting a groundbreaking ceremony at SK Tanjung Malim here yesterday.
Dr Mah was asked to comment on the incident on Aug 9 when five students from SMK Melor were injured after the school’s water tank burst near the pedestrian walk area.
Four of the students were sent to Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital for treatment, while another was sent to a health clinic.
It was learnt that one of the students had a head injury and received at least two stitches, while another had a pain in the neck. The remaining three students were sent home.
Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said on Facebook that the Kelantan Education Department had been instructed to carry out immediate repair and maintenance work to ensure that the facilities in the school were in good condition and safe for use.
Dr Mah said the ministry was always open to working with other ministries and government agencies to provide a safer learning environment for students.
In a video which went viral showing students in Keningau, Sabah, crossing a river using a water pipeline to get to school, Dr Mah said: “I used to take a bus daily in the morning for 18km from my house to my school.
“There is nothing special about me and my school is located in a village, but I had the motivation to move forward.
“I think it is important for all students, regardless of where they come from, be it rural or otherwise, to be thankful and find the right motivation. This doesn’t apply only to students but also to parents.”
The 92-second clip was posted by a Facebook user under the name Siti Hafizah Leezah, who said the people at Kampung Mansiang Baru, Keningau, had no alternative but to use the pipeline to go to school.
In July, Dr Mah also congratulated SK Seri Aman in Bedong, Kedah, for taking the initiative to provide small stools for pupils during the school’s morning assembly.
“There are more than 10,000 schools under our care, so we definitely encourage parents, teachers and the community to help us. We see this as a great initiative by the school to provide a more comfortable learning experience for the pupils,” he said.