KULIM, Nov 7 — The Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN), the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Ministry of Health (MOH) must strengthen their cooperation and information-sharing to address various security issues and create a safe school ecosystem.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said these three ministries cannot work in isolation when dealing with the various issues that arise within schools.
He noted that this necessity was among the matters discussed during a meeting of the Police-Ministry of Education Consultative Committee, held last week at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol).
“One of the points I raised concerns student profiling. For instance, there are students who require treatment and consultation with a psychiatrist, yet the school authorities lack access to such information, which is held by the Ministry of Health,” he said.
He made these remarks to reporters after attending the ‘Semarak Kebudayaan Masyarakat Kedah Bersama PDRM 2026’ programme here today.
He was asked to comment on media reports regarding the police’s arrest of two teenagers believed to be suppliers in a case involving a school student in Negeri Sembilan who vaped using an electronic cigarette containing drugs.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan was reported as saying that the arrested suspects include a 17-year-old student (a schoolmate of the victim) and an 18-year-old male who is no longer in school.
Saifuddin Nasution emphasised that collaboration among the three ministries is crucial, given that the school security ecosystem encompasses approximately 5.2 million students across 12,000 schools nationwide, a situation that necessitates information-sharing and integrated action among the relevant agencies.
Meanwhile, he noted that the use of vapes among students has also become a point of concern, as the contents of vape liquids — which may include a variety of substances — can complicate police investigations.
He explained that some substances may contain toxic components that have not yet been officially classified as poisons; this creates challenges for the police in completing investigations and bringing cases to the prosecution stage.
He said existing collaboration between the police and schools which includes the deployment of police liaison officers and the involvement of the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) needs to be expanded to also include the Ministry of Health (MOH).
“The issue is not limited to vape use among students; it also encompasses various other activities, such as bullying and accidents occurring within school premises,” he said. — Bernama
