A group of civil society leaders said that reports that Tamil schools are a breeding ground for gangsterism were inaccurate as they were based on a misquote.

The group said they had met MySkills Foundation director S Pasupathi for clarification.

"We are able to confirm that Pasupathi did not say that 'Tamil schools are a breeding ground for gangsterism'.

"He said that children who are from poor socio-economic backgrounds are most susceptible to gangsterism irrespective of the schools they attend.

"We do agree that what he said has been misquoted," they said in a joint statement today.

The statement was signed by community leader A Vaithilingam, Action Plan for Future of Tamil Schools' NS Rajendran, M Muthusamy and S Supramani, activist K Arumugam and UKM Institute of Ethnic Studies' KS Nathan and Denison Jayasooria as well as Pasupathai.

On Aug 26, Pasupathi told a forum that gang insignia were found in the toilets of Tamil schools.

He said students were exposed to such elements from a young age.

In the statement today, Pasupathi said it was "regrettable" if he was misunderstood.

"I never discredited or intended to discredit Tamil schools and I will never do that," he was quoted as saying.

The group also affirmed that Tamil schools are a national heritage to the country and an important component of the cultural identity of the Malaysian Tamil community.

"We call on the community to work together to address the root causes affecting high-risk youths.

"We call on all to move forward and continue to focus on effective solutions for the betterment of the community and nation," they said.