ALOR SETAR: The Karangan Drug Rehabilitation Centre (PUSPEN) in Kulim, which had been closed since December 1, 2022, is set to resume operations following significant upgrades, according to National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, AADK announced in a statement that Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail officiated the handover and launch of a new school block and the upgrade of PUSPEN Karangan.
The statement highlighted that PUSPEN Karangan now features advanced facilities to implement the Client Education Access Programme (PAPK) for clients under 18 years of age, a program introduced by AADK in 2015. The PAPK aims to provide these clients with an opportunity to continue their education while receiving treatment and rehabilitation, with academic support provided through an in-situ approach.
AADK emphasized that the initiative seeks to enhance the diversity of expertise through a strategic collaboration between the Ministry of Education (MOE) and AADK. This collaborat
ion aims to introduce an integrity school system at AADK, utilizing the expertise of teachers and the MOE.
The agency noted a steady increase in the number of clients registering for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations since the program’s inception: 15 candidates in 2015, rising to 28 in 2016, 34 in 2017, 38 in 2018, 40 in 2019, 34 in 2020, and 25 in 2021. The upgraded facilities will allow AADK to accommodate all clients currently enrolled in the PAPK across Peninsular Malaysia, with the facility able to house up to 100 clients simultaneously. Presently, 25 clients are enrolled in the program.
AADK further explained that the SPM program’s success has enabled many clients to pursue higher education. The clients receive full support from volunteer instructors, including polytechnic lecturers and secondary school teachers from nearby schools. The PAPK program has also broadened its scope beyond SPM preparation to include basic literacy and numeracy education-reading, writing, and arithmetic-addres
sing issues of educational neglect among some young clients.