Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid has advised teachers not to be afraid to come forward and report gangsterism in their schools as their safety is assured.

He said this was because the ministry was working closely with the police, who performed the role of school liaison officers, and always monitored gangsterism hotspots.

"I am aware many such areas have security threats resulting in teachers being scared of acting upon or reporting such problems to the authorities.

"But, actually the police and state education departments have identified the hotspots and are always monitoring them and conducting joint meetings to overcome the problem," he told reporters after opening the ''Baiti Jannati'' programme organised by Tenaga Nasional Berhad here today.

Mahdzir said this when commenting on the issue of gangsterism which often cropped up since lately among school students including 42 students of a school in Klang, Selangor who were charged in court for involvement in gangsterism.

On the issue, he said the ministry was still waiting for a full report from the police on the position of the 42 students before issuing any statement.

"I reiterate that we have no protection, appeal or anything for the students in this type of case, we leave it fully to the authorities concerned," he said.

In the meantime, he also urged certain quarters to stop criticising the ''Pemata Negara'' programme mooted by the wife of the prime minister, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor but to instead understand first its content.

"The children who are deemed to have extraordinary thinking are gathered under this programme to burnish their potentials. It was expanded during the early education of the children and has now gone to a higher level.

"The programme, which was founded in 2010, is very good for the country. In fact, it was suggested that the ''Permata Negara'' module be used to formulate the children''s early education," he said.

-- BERNAMA