08/01/2026

THURSDAY | JAN 8, 2026

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‘Fear presents major barrier to performing CPR’

Dapur Siswa initiative aims to provide food

issues such as land ownership status still arise. He emphasised that the allocation for SJKTs carries a deeper meaning for the Indian community as it serves as a form of recognition for the role and contribution of Tamil schools within the national education system. Earlier, Chow celebrated 24 students from SJKTs under the guidance of Syscore Academy, who secured over 80 medals across nine major categories at WRG 2025, held in Taipei, Taiwan from Nov 25 to Dec 1 last year. WRG is one of the world’s largest robotics and STEM platforms, bringing together over 1,000 participants from 10 countries, including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia. – Bernama security for students KUALA LUMPUR: The Dapur Siswa initiative under the Higher Education Ministry aims to ensure no student, especially from low-income backgrounds, goes hungry due to financial pressure. The RM15 million allocation underscores the Madani government’s concern for citizens’ welfare, including challenges faced by some university students. Universiti Sains Malaysia Student Representative Council deputy president Muhammad Afiq Hasraf Hazly, 22, called the Dapur Siswa Food Bank funding a key step in protecting students’ basic welfare. “Food welfare is not a minor or new issue. It directly affects students. This initiative shows care for their realities, particularly those struggling with financial pressure and rising living costs. “We welcome this initiative as it helps students focus on their studies without having to worry about basic survival.” He said the food bank helps students under the B40 group overcome financial strain and focus on their studies. Universiti Malaya student Nur Atiqah Yusof, 24, said the initiative greatly eases students’daily struggles, particularly for those relying on the National Higher Education Fund Corporation loan. “The cost of living, especially in cities, is very worrying because everything is expensive. Relying on government loans, scholarships or any other support is simply not enough. “I spend around RM10 a day just on cafeteria meals twice daily. That is the minimum. To spend less, I would have to go hungry.” Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia student Wan Mohamad Shafiq Wan Hamid, 24, called the allocation a positive move by the government to support underprivileged students’ access to sufficient food. “I have used the food bank before and it was a positive experience, providing healthy, nutritious food for free,” he said, adding that the Dapur Siswa programme should be expanded to reach more students in need, with additional supplies sourced through private-sector partnerships. Hasina Anuar, 66, praised the initiative as a great way to ease the financial burden on her child at university. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a RM15 million allocation for the Dapur Siswa initiative during Monday’s monthly assembly and New Year Address. The free food and food bank initiatives aim to address student food insecurity and protect their welfare throughout their university studies. – Bernama

o Awareness of procedure is high, but readiness to act in emergency remains worryingly low: Physician

Ű BY QIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: While most Malaysians have heard of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, better known as CPR, only few are truly ready to save a life, according to experts. Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM senior consultant emergency physician Prof Dr Ismail Saiboon said fear and lack of confidence are major barriers preventing Malaysians from performing CPR. “Based on our research conducted between 2020 and 2022, 51% of respondents said they were afraid of doing it incorrectly, 29% admitted they lacked confidence, 6% felt uncomfortable and 3% simply did not want to intervene,” he said. He stressed that while awareness of CPR is relatively high, readiness to act in an emergency remains worryingly low. “We found that 63.2% of Malaysians are aware of what CPR means, likely because basic life support (BLS) is included in the secondary school curriculum, although the way it is taught varies between schools. “About 35.5% have undergone CPR training, but only 10% have kept their skills up to date, having trained within the last two years. Even more concerning, only 22% say they would be willing to perform CPR in an emergency, while 78% would hesitate,” he added. Ismail said although government agencies, NGOs and private sector organisations offer CPR training, it is mostly conducted on an ad hoc basis, making it difficult for Malaysians to maintain their skills and confidence. “At the school level, although CPR is included in the secondary school curriculum, its implementation remains weak, with student feedback showing that CPR or BLS is often treated as an optional subject. “In some schools, CPR is skipped entirely, taught without hands-on training or handled by unqualified teachers, with many also lacking proper equipment, such as CPR manikins, resulting in poor outcomes.” He also said one of the study’s most glaring findings is that the majority of Malaysians who want to learn CPR, between 65% and 75%, do

Ismail warned that if CPR is delayed for more than 10 minutes, the chances of survival become almost negligible. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH/THESUN

and establishing a coordinating body to regulate training and certification. “Automated external defibrillators (AED) should be placed in public areas while trained CPR providers could be registered in a nationwide system, possibly linked to an app to alert the nearest responder during emergencies,” he said. “Regular audits and the adoption of the Good Samaritan law, which provides legal protection for anyone giving reasonable assistance to someone who is injured, ill or in danger, would further encourage the public to act in emergencies.” For laypeople witnessing someone collapse, Ismail recommend the Malaysian 5-T CPR method: 0 tengok (look) – c heck the victim and surroundings for safety; 0 tegur (talk) – t ap and speak to see if the person responds; 0 teriak/telefon (shout/call) – call for help, dial 999 and get an AED if available; 0 teliti (check) – quickly check if the victim is breathing; and 0 tekan dada (compress chest) – if the person is unconscious and not breathing, begin chest compressions at a rate of 100 beats per minute.

programmes and robotics classes. “The Penang government channelled RM2.42 million for 2025 to assist SJKTs, covering classroom upgrades with new whiteboards, smart boards, smart televisions and other digital facilities,” he told reporters after the appreciation ceremony for Malaysian student winners at the World Robot Games (WRG) 2025, officiated by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow here on Tuesday. Sundarajoo, who is also state Housing and Environment exco, expressed gratitude to Anwar for his concern for SJKTs by providing RM50 million for maintenance this year, compared with RM30 million last year. On Monday, while delivering his New Year message at the Prime Minister’s Department’s monthly assembly, Anwar announced that the not know where to access training. He highlighted that this is partly because CPR courses in Malaysia are rarely conducted on a regular basis or widely advertised. “Training offered by health centres, institutions of higher learning, schools and offices is mostly ad hoc. Another challenge is the absence of a national body to coordinate CPR training across the country, making it even harder for people to find accessible training opportunities.” Ismail said proper CPR, when performed immediately and correctly, could improve a person’s chance of survival by between 25% and 30% but delays drastically reduce those chances, with survival decreasing by about 10% for every minute CPR is not started. He warned that if CPR is delayed for more than 10 minutes, the chances of survival become almost negligible. “Other factors, such as the victim’s body temperature and the location where they are found, also affect outcomes, but timely CPR remains critical.” To improve public readiness, Ismail suggested making CPR a mandatory subject in schools and ensuring all teachers are trained. He also recommended raising awareness, setting up more training centres nationwide,

RM50m allocation to benefit 28 Tamil schools in Penang GEORGE TOWN: The RM50 million allocation for the maintenance of National-Type Tamil Schools (SJKT) nationwide, announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is expected to benefit 28 SJKTs in Penang. government had agreed to increase the allocation for National-Type Chinese Schools to RM80 million, up from RM50 million last year, and allocated RM50 million for SJKTs.

Chow, who welcomed the announcement, said the increase is highly significant, especially for vernacular schools that have long required assistance to upgrade basic facilities and improve learning environments. “From Penang’s experience since 2008, we found that SJKTs certainly require continuous funding to upgrade basic facilities, equipment, furniture, and teaching and learning materials.” He explained that since Penang began channeling allocations to SJKTs nearly two decades ago, most of these schools have successfully upgraded their facilities, although

Penang Tamil Schools Special Committee chairman Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo said the funds would be distributed according to the actual needs of the schools. However, in line with state practice since 2008, the aid will not be provided in the form of cash. “In addition to the allocations provided by the state government, federal government funds will be used to upgrade infrastructure, learning facilities and student development programmes, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)