The discipline level of school students is still under control with only two to three percent of the more than five million students in the country involved with disciplinary problems last year, said Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong.

He attributed this to the implementation of various programmes and campaigns to address the problems of indiscipline among students.

He said that last year, 111,484 students were caught for indiscipline and they comprised 72,557 or 65.08 percent from secondary schools and 38,927 or 34.92 percent from primary schools.

NONE The included 17,595 students (0.32 percent) who were involved in crime, misbehaviour (0.39 percent or 18,346), truancy (19,545 or 0.36 percent), pornography (3,031 or 0.06 percent) and vandalism (5,212 or 0.1 percent), he added.

Wee told this to reporters after chairing a meeting on addressing students' disciplinary problems in Putrajaya today.

He said parents should monitor their children's movements to avoid the children from getting involved in unhealthy activities, like drug addiction, truancy and other disciplinary problems.

On the meeting, Wee said they discussed programmes which would be implemented to address discipline problems among students next year, like courses on law and enforcement for school disciplinary teachers.

Asked whether closed-circuit television cameras would be installed in schools to monitor students' discipline, Wee said the situation now had not reached a stage where installation of such a gadget was necessary.

However, he said, the schools and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) could take the initiative to do so.

- Bernama