Education Ministry studies proposal on mandatory vaccination - Kamalanathan

Its Deputy Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said the effort was important to protect the students' health.

"It is a proposal we are studying. We have to take a lot into consideration but I think it is an important matter. The student's health is a very important matter," he told reporters after the 1Malaysia Tamil Language Open Competition in conjunction with 200 years of Tamil Language in Malaysian Education here today.

He was commenting on a seven-year-old girl who died from diphtheria bacterial infection in Melaka and in Kedah, a two-year-old toddler had died, another one critical while five of his siblings were quarantined at the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital (HSAH) purportedly due to the same problem.

Kamalanathan said the proposal to make vacination mandatory for students was submitted by the Health Ministry and a decision on the matter would be made soon.

He said, currently, there was no rule making it compulsory for all school students to get vaccinated.

On the competition, Kamalanathan said it was held in conjunction with the 200th year celebration of the Tamil language in national education since it was first taught at the Penang Free School on Oct 21, 1816.