Education Ministry pledges swift aid after Cheras school fire, awaiting full report

Malay Mail

21 hours ago

NIBONG TEBAL, June 10 — The Education Ministry (MOE) is awaiting a full report on the fire that broke out earliy this morning at Sekolah Menengah (SM) Sains Alam Shah in Cheras.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim has been tasked with assessing the extent of the damage and delivering immediate assistance to the school.
'This support is crucial to ensure that the teaching and learning can continue in a safe and conducive environment for both students and teachers,' she said.
She was speaking to reporters after attending a welcoming ceremony for new Form Six students at Universiti Sains Malaysia's (USM) Engineering Campus here.
She expressed sorrow over the incident and relief that there were no casualties, adding that the safety and welfare of teachers and students remain the ministry's top priority.
Earlier, the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Operations Centre confirmed that the school's administration building was destroyed in the blaze. Authorities received an emergency call at 4.15 am and extinguished the fire by 6.18 am.
Separately, Fadhlina addressed concerns among teachers posted far from their spouses due to differing work locations.
She said teachers may apply for transfers after two years of service without additional conditions, an improvement from the previous requirement of at least three years and other stipulations.
'However, we must also take into account factors that could affect the education ecosystem, such as staffing vacancies,' she said.
'Our priority is to balance the needs of the education system with the personal well-being of teachers. Health and safety concerns are also valid reasons for transfer requests. We will manage this as best we can and we ask for teachers' patience,' she added. — Bernama