THE Education Ministry is identifying high-risk schools that required closed circuit television (CCTV) to monitor criminal acts and school security, said Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan.

Commenting on the proposal by the National Union of The Teaching Profession (NUTP) concerning the installation of CCTV in schools, he said the finalised list would be announced later.

He said the ministry also agreed with NUTP’s recommendations that CCTV installations be made in public places and should not intrude into the privacy of students and teachers.

“The installation of this CCTV is not an easy matter and cannot be done at will. It needs thorough discussions with the school and PIBG (Parents and Teachers Association) before being implemented,” he said in a media conference on the implementation of the Tamil Literature subject pilot programme at his office today.

On the Tamil Literature subject, Kamalanathan said the ministry’s Curriculum Development Division was in the process of drafting a Tamil Literature curriculum to be implemented in 2020.

“This takes into account secondary school students who have started the Secondary School Standard Curriculum (KSSM) last year and will be in Form Four in 2020,” he said, adding that the Tamil Literature subject would be implemented in selected schools initially to see the suitability of its contents.

He said at present, the subject would be implemented as an exam syllabus and to be used an an examination subject only.

For this year, he said 3,139 students would sit for the Tamil Literature exams at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level and over 800 students for the Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM).

“The passing rate for students taking the Tamil Literature is consistent at between 80% and 90% each year,” he added. – Bernama, January 11, 2018.