Suspects In Tahfiz School Fire Case Had Disciplinary Problems & Were Expelled From School
Only one of the seven suspects managed to finish school.
By Tang Ruxyn — 18 Sep 2017, 07:07 PM
Six of the seven suspects between the ages of 11 and 18 in the fire incident at Darul Quran Ittifaqyah (DQI) tahfiz had attended school before they were expelled due to disciplinary problems
Three suspects sneaked into the tahfiz school at about 3am on the day of the incident. They were caught on CCTV (closed circuit television).
Image via Harian MetroThis was revealed by Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid today, 18 September.
"The suspects did not attend school for a large number of days. Based on this, disciplinary action was taken by the school which is expelling its student," he was quoted as saying by New Straits Times (NST).
Meanwhile, a source told Berita Harian that the students were also involved in various disciplinary problems besides skipping school.
According to Mahdzir, the teachers at the schools had "taken measures" to ensure that the suspects stop playing truant but their efforts were futile
Bernama reported that the school authorities had taken various measures, including issuing warning letters and arranging for meetings with the students' parents to discuss their children's attendance problem before they decided to take the most extreme measure - expulsion from school.
It was learned that the children would come to school for a few days before they start skipping school again.
"For example, the 16-year-old suspect only attended school when he was in Form One in 2012. Most of them only attended school in the early stage of their secondary form. The last one to drop out of school was in 2016," Mahdzir said.
Only one of the seven suspects finished school and he continued his studies at GiatMARA, an institute that provides technical and vocational skills training to youths
The deadly fire at Darul Quran Ittifaqyah (DQI) tahfiz school in Kampung Datuk Keramat claimed the lives of 23 people, including 21 students and two teachers.
Image via Bernama via Malay Mail OnlineHowever, it was learned that the 18-year-old eventually dropped out of GiatMARA.
According to media reports, the other suspects were students at SMK Sri Ampang, SMK Padang Tembak, SK Dato' Keramat 1, and SK Dato' Keramat 2 before they were expelled from their respective schools.
Malay Mail Online reported that the group of teenagers was dubbed as 'Geng Budak Jahat Keramat' by the surrounding residents. Two of the suspects have criminal records for weapon possession and theft of a vehicle.