500 Orang Asli students get helicopter rides to school

About 500 Orang Asli students living in in the interior areas of this district had to be ferried by Fire and Rescue Department air unit helicopters to school here today.

Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) director-general Datuk Hasnan Hassan said the move was to prevent students from dropping out as a result of roads to their villages being cut off in the last two weeks after the massive floods that hit the state in December.

"Students were picked up from each post and the helicopters landed at the Civics Centre field here before being sent by bus to live in hostels.

"The secondary schools accommodating them are Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bandar Chiku, Tengku Bendahara and SMK Tengku Indera Petra 2,” he told reporters at Pos Balar here, today.

Hasnan said among the Orang Asli posts involved were Pos Balar, Hau, Belatim, Simpor, Tohoi, Gob, Kampung Jader and Kampung Dang Dut.

He said Jakoa was working with the Fire and Rescue Department air unit to solve the problem of Orang Asli students travelling to schools.

"We have to take the measure or otherwise Orang Asli children would be stranded at home," he said.

According to him, Jakoa was committed to improve the performance of Orang Asli children as well as to compete with children of other races in school especially at secondary level.

"We will take prompt measures to repair damaged roads so that the problem could be overcome in stages after this," he said.