PETALING JAYA: Steps will be taken to help students affected by the Sungai Kim Kim pollution incident to catch up with their school work.
Education Minister Maszlee Malik said a special support system would be implemented in schools in Pasir Gudang to help the affected students, who had to stay away from school for two weeks as a result of the contamination.
On March 8, chemical waste were disposed in the river, resulting in the emission of poisonous gases that sent nearly 4,000 residents to hospital. More than 100 schools in the area were also instructed to close.
Maszlee said the support system would be set up with the assistance of the State Education Department and the Pasir Gudang District Education Office.
Students, teachers and staff who have been traumatised by the episode will also be given counselling, he added.
“These counselling programmes will be carried out by Johor guidance counsellors with the cooperation of the Social Welfare Department of the Sultan Aminah Hospital psychiatric unit.”
Meanwhile, more than 900 students from the affected areas returned to school today.
Maszlee, who visited SMK Pasir Gudang, commended the determination of the students to return to class.
“I could see that they were eager to continue with their classes and (the teachers) were very dedicated in carrying out the responsibilities entrusted to them.”
He said he had also instructed officials to continue monitoring the surroundings of the schools to ensure the area was safe.
Johor state executive councillor in charge of education, Aminolhuda Hassan, was reported to have said that the schoolchildren and their parents felt the pollution problem had been addressed.
He said the pupils who were admitted to hospital would receive RM25 each as compensation from Takaful Malaysia.
