The education ministry will install CCTV cameras at 200 boarding schools nationwide to improve student safety, says education director-general Azam Ahmad.
Azam said the RM3 million project would be rolled out in stages based on the needs and student populations of individual schools, with larger hostels given priority.
He also said the management would seek expert advice on suitable locations for the cameras at the schools, Bernama reported.
“We cannot install them indiscriminately, such as in toilets. We don’t want to violate students’ privacy.
“There are laws that must be observed, so we need to be careful about this,” he was quoted as saying after an event in Kota Bharu today.
Azam said the ministry also planned to increase the number of wardens at hostels, based on proposals from the Malaysian Council of Principals of Secondary Schools, which would be brought to the ministry level.
“For the safety of students, the government and the education ministry will do their best. For now, there are no plans to appoint retired soldiers or police personnel as wardens.
“We see school hostels as educational institutions, so having wardens among teachers is very important,” he said, adding that teacher-wardens could teach a few periods each week and spend the rest of their time supervising hostel students.
