Schools must follow programme organisation guidelines, says Education Ministry

PUTRAJAYA: Institutions under the Education Ministry must adhere to existing guidelines on the organisation of programmes and the acceptance of donations.

In a statement on Monday (July 22), the ministry emphasised that these guidelines, among other things, prohibit donations derived from gambling, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, and similar activities that could negatively impact students’ intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical development.

“The ministry welcomes the efforts by schools to organise programmes and seek donations for development purposes in line with the Community Owned School initiative. However, this must be carried out in accordance with Circular Letter Ikhtisas Number 3 of 2018,” it said in its statement.

The ministry added that it is always proactive in addressing social issues among the younger generation, with numerous awareness and prevention education programmes to guide students and said that it is taking seriously the recent media reports about a school charity programme that involved donations from an alcohol company.