He said there was an erroneous belief that such schools, especially those with religious curriculums, could always correct problem children.

“Please, please, please, do not confuse yourself into believing that sending your troubled child to a religious school will restore him,” he said. “It may harm other kids. I am sorry. The problems start from home. And it takes a real dedicated teacher to help the child, together with the parents.”

His posting followed a news report saying popular preacher Mohammad Kazim Elias had issued a letter to a mother demanding that she apologise for linking him and his school in Ipoh to allegations of sexual abuse of students. Kazim is threatening to sue the mother for RM8 million.

Syed Azmi also said children in boarding schools should be separated according to age and their activities monitored by closed circuit TV cameras.

He said it was also important to ensure that standard operating procedures governing visits to the schools were clearly laid out and proper records were kept of those using the sick bays to check for possible abuse.

“I understand that it seems scary, but rest assured the percentage (of abused children) is small or can be small if we work together,” he said.

He added that he was a product of a boarding school and loved his time there.