KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian students living in Thailand who cross Sungai Golok via illegal routes daily to attend school in Malaysia will be relocated to hostels. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced that discussions are underway with the students’ families to place them in appropriate dormitories, ensuring their safety and uninterrupted education.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, this decision follows the National Security Council’s recent ruling to ban crossing the border using illegal routes along Sungai Golok, effective December 1. Fadhlina emphasized the need to address this issue before the ban takes effect, instructing the director-general to collaborate with the Kelantan State Education Department to secure dormitory accommodations. This initiative is crucial for safeguarding the students while allowing them to continue their studies.

Fadhlina also noted efforts to ensure that students have valid passes for crossing at gazetted border routes. Reports indicate nearly 500 students from Thailand cu
rrently use illegal routes to cross Sungai Golok daily for school, with key crossings at Jambu, Ibrahim Pencen, and Paun charging RM1 per student.

In related news, Fadhlina underscored that the Ministry of Education will not tolerate administrators, including school principals, who conceal student drug involvement cases. Disciplinary cases involving crimes must be reported to the District Education Office and the Kelantan State Education Department before engaging parents and the community.

During the same event, Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department director Datuk Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad highlighted a worrying trend of increased student involvement in criminal activities, such as bullying and gangsterism, with 237 students implicated in violent crimes and 799 students identified as rape victims from January to June this year. Despite the relatively small numbers compared to the over five million primary and secondary school students, preventive measures are essential to curb future increases.