Kelantan Education Department orders for task force to look into snake bites, hysteria

Following the snake bite case of the Standard One pupil on Apr 19 and the spotting of snakes in school compounds, the Kelantan Education Department had ordered a task force to be formed in all schools.

The department director Datuk Abdul Aziz Abdullah said the task force, to be headed by the school’s principle will look into all emergency cases including hysteria, food poisoning, bullying in school and others.

He said the task force will work hand in hand with the police, Fire and Safety Department, Health Ministry and the Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG).

“This is a drastic step taken to address the issue quickly and even in the department, we have a unit to handle such cases,” he said at a press conference today, adding that the task force will be set up immediately.

He said the school principal must always be alert for such cases within the school compound.

He said the exchange of expertise through the task force will help to such cases be attended to in a more quicker and effective manner.

He urged schools to adhere to the standard operating procedure and to report such cases to the department and the relevant agencies.

On April 19, SK Dato' Hashim 1, Pengkalan Chepa pupil Nuriey Nadhirah Roslan, 7, died after she was believed to have been bitten by a snake in a garden beside her classroom.

READ: Snake bite incident: Nuriey Nadhirah's father pleads not to share photo of daughter

READ: Schoolgirl who died of snake bite buried at Che Latiff Muslim Cemetery

The victim was confirmed to have died while seeking treatment at the Pengkalan Chepa Health Clinic and an autopsy revealed that the cause of death was the lack of oxygen in the body due to a bite by a poisonous creature.