KUALA LUMPUR: According to Fadhlina Sidek, a total of 913 teenagers, with some as young as 13, have tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) from 2018 to 2022. The Education Minister stated that this information was provided by the Health Ministry and includes cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, chancroid, and HIV. In 2018, there were 255 recorded cases among 13 to 17-year-old students, and in 2019, a total of 225 STD cases were recorded. The number reduced to 191 cases in 2020, 96 cases in 2021, and 146 cases last year.
Fadhlina also shared that in 2019, three percent of students who underwent urine tests tested positive for drugs. This percentage decreased to 2.16% in 2020, and there were no urine tests conducted in 2021 due to home-based learning. In 2022, 1.18% of students who underwent urine tests tested positive, and as of September this year, 0.64% tested positive. The Education Ministry and the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) carried out these urine tests.
Fadhlina further stated that the number of school dropouts has shown a declining trend over the past five years, from 2018 to 2022. The percentage of school dropouts decreased from 1.21% in 2018 to 0.99% in 2022. Last year, 4.66% of total dropouts were involved in negative activities, and this figure stood at 4.53% as of September this year. These negative activities, as per the Student Discipline System (SSDM), include bullying, truancy, smoking, obscene behavior, and mischief.
