Education Ministry probing school's 'snake training' boot camp

The Education Ministry today expressed its disappointment with a public school’s boot camp which required pupils to wade through a pool that had snakes in it.

Deputy Education Minister, Datuk P. Kamalanathan said the ministry is currently investigating the incident at the school in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, after the school management lodged a complaint with the district education department.

"The ministry is very disappointed with the incident involving pupils who took part in a Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) programme held in Kuala Kangsar. The school has lodged a complaint with the district education department and investigations are underway.

"We have had a good relationship with APM but this incident is one too many because of its impact on the pupils, it's highly regrettable it took place.

"Preliminary investigations show the teachers present were against the idea but the camp instructor was insistent, claiming the snakes aren't poisonous and the children would not be harmed in anyway.

"I've also been informed APM has suspended all such boot camps for students pending an investigation on adherence to SOP (standard operating procedure).

"We at the ministry are awaiting and monitoring the investigations and will ensure that such traumatic incidents are not repeated in the future to any student," he told Astro AWANI via WhatsApp today.

A video of the incident had went viral on social media after it was shared on the Facebook page of 'Friends of PDRM'.

The 2:50-minute long video showed several schoolchildren being told to wade through a muddy pool, in batches, that had at least one snake in it.

In the background, a man's voice was heard telling the children to hurry through the pool with caution, and a hand was seen holding a hose and spraying the children with water, supposedly to encourage them.