Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division principal assistant director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the lack of exposure on the threat of the IS at the school level has led to educators not taking proactive action to suppress the influence of the group’s ideology.

“If we want to overcome this problem, all parties will have to play a role, especially at the school and teachers’ level. If we don’t understand what Daesh is, the characteristics of the people involved with Daesh, how can we handle this issue,” he told Bernama.

He said the risks that school students would become involved in terrorism and the IS were high because they were easier to interact with through social media.

“We are worried that if there is no monitoring from parents, teachers, schools and heads of department, this matter (terrorism) will be difficult to detect and take action at the early stages,” he said.

On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said 346 individuals linked to the IS terror group, including 95 Malaysians had been detained up till Oct 6.