PUTRAJAYA: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said today that Putrajaya is planning to take action against parents who left their children with Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH) welfare homes.
Fadhlina said her ministry’s legal team is currently reviewing the matter, as the parents had failed to provide the children — some of them found sexually or physically abused — with formal education, as stipulated by the Education Act 1996.
“Children being denied education is a serious issue especially when the Education Act and education policy make it compulsory,” New Straits Times quoted her saying after her ministry’s monthly assembly.
“We will provide updates from time to time if action is taken [against the parents].
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State news agency Bernama reported Fadhlina saying that the around 300 rescued children will undergo the module at Social Welfare Department welfare homes, where they are currently protected.
“The education process will take place in a protected environment. Currently, they are undergoing several assessments, including the 3M aspects and psychosocial evaluation,” she reportedly said, referring to reading, writing, and arithmetic.
“Once all sessions are completed, the Ministry of Education will take over the educational aspects,” she added.
Fadhlina said the education based on this special module will follow three cohorts: preschool, primary school, and secondary school.
A raid on GISBH welfare homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan for the last few weeks saw 392 children rescued.
Preliminary investigations found that the children who resided there were not only allegedly sodomised by the caretakers, but also taught to perform similar acts on the other children at the home.
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