Putra Heights: The Ministry of Education (MOH) has disbursed financial aid of RM1,000 to each of the 128 students and five teachers from the 37 schools affected by the April 1 gas pipeline blaze in Putra Heights here.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the assistance, supported by Yayasan Guru Tun Hussein Onn and Yayasan Didik Negara, is channelled to pupils and teachers from 21 primary schools and 16 secondary schools to ease their burden and to ensure there are no dropouts. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek emphasized that the ministry’s support extends beyond financial aid, including academic and psychosocial assistance, such as school uniforms, textbooks, and stationery, to ensure the continuity of education for the affected students.
The presentation of the contributions took place at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan USJ 23, attended by notable figures such as Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh, MOH secretary-general Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim, Education director-general Datuk Azman Adnan, and others. Yayasan Guru Tun Hussein Onn chief executive officer Zahirudin Mohammad Hanif and Selangor Education Department director Dr Jafri Abu were also present.
Minister Fadhlina stressed the ministry’s commitment to continuously monitor the victims’ needs, including providing post-disaster counselling for students and teachers. Zainal Abas, Education deputy director-general (School Operations Sector), highlighted that the ministry had activated its Smart Support Team, comprising guidance and counselling teachers, to offer psychosocial support, and its Academic Support Team to aid the education of the victims when they were sheltered at temporary relief centres.
Zainal assured that emotional support would be provided on a long-term basis, expressing confidence in the capability of the guidance and counselling teachers to assist the schoolchildren. He also mentioned the streamlined disbursement of aid with the Social Welfare Department’s list of registered victims and urged those who missed out on receiving assistance to contact the Selangor Education Department or the nearest District Education Office.
The gas pipeline blaze, which occurred at 8.10 am on April 1, involved a Petronas-owned pipeline and resulted in flames soaring over 30 metres high, with temperatures reaching up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. It took nearly eight hours to fully extinguish the fire.