KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry wants to put more counsellors in secondary schools to curb discipline problems among students, said its deputy minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.
He said the ministry hoped to reduce the current student-counsellor ratio of 1:500 to 1:300.
“We need an increase of about 40% counsellors from the current 7,000 counsellors posted at schools,” he said after launching the Mid-Autumn Street Party in front of Sungei Wang Plaza last night.
Dr Wee, who is also the MCA Youth chief, said it was only a mere 2% of secondary students with disciplinary problems and most were repeat offenders.
“Education is not only about teaching and knowledge. It is also to mould a student’s well-being. Some first time offenders have benefitted from counselling and no longer play truant or cause problems at school,” he said.
He added that enforcement such as suspension, warnings and expulsion should only be used as a last resort.
“We are not a prison, but an institution. We need to educate the students,” he said, adding the ministry was working with Persatuan Kaunseling Malaysia to train more counsellors.
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