Police to engage parents to counter student delinquency (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has identified and listed 402 schools nationwide as problematic and riddled with disciplinary issues among its students.
The list which was prepared by the MOE also found 91 schools of the 402 as having serious disciplinary issues including drug use among students.
A third of the 402 schools are in Selangor and Johor.
To address the issue, the police have proposed that parents of problematic students be roped in to help.
After a recent meeting held in Putrajaya between the police, the MOE, the Parents-Teachers Association(PTA) and non-governmental organisations (NGO) to discuss solutions and the growing rampancy in bullying, drug abuse and other disciplinary issues in school, the authorities concurred on taking the matter to the parents of wayward students and getting them involved in corrective efforts.
Federal Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department (CPCSD) director contacted by theSun today, Commissioner Datuk Tajudin Md Isa confirmed the proposed plan of engaging parents in resolving delinquency is in the discussion stage with the MOE, PTA and NGOs.
"We have tried to contain the issue by working together with MOE, PTA and through our liaison officers' programme in the past and if this is not bringing significant results, then we need to look further to resolve it," he said.
He also clarified that violent misconduct in schools have also been misunderstood and presumed as gangsterism.
"What we mainly face is hooliganism and not gangsterism. These are small cliques or groups formed within a school and resort to causing problems. Gangsterism is defined when students are associated with underworld gangs and secret societies. Although we do have such cases, maybe in one or two schools, it is not widespread as presumed by the public." he said.
Tajudin said parents should also come forward and seek help from the relevant authorities if they face problems with their children.
On July 31, the federal police also issued a directive to their school liaison officers to pay greater attention on the 402 troubled schools identified by the MOE and take proactive measures in preventing disciplinary problems among its students.