PETALING JAYA: A Form Five student of SM Damansara Utama is being treated for severe head injury after a fall during high jump training at a multi-purpose cement court.

In the incident at 10am on Wednesday, he knocked the bar down while attempting his third jump and fell on a mattress, but hit his head on the floor.

He is in the Intensive Care Unit of a private medical centre in Damansara, the school's principal Salamah Mat Isa said.

"The doctor said his neck is not broken but there is a blood clot in his head," she said when contacted on Thursday.

Salamah said the students had been practising for Sports Day on a field under the supervision of three teachers, but had wanted to practise on the court instead as the field was slippery.

"The boy was immediately brought to hospital and his parents were informed," she said.

"The parents are being very nice and accepted it as an accident," she said, adding that the student had joined the school only this year.

Salamah said she had informed the Selangor Education Department of the incident the same day and was preparing a report.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, meanwhile, regarded the incident as a freak accident.

Reminded that the training was conducted on a cement court, thus increasing the risk of injury, he said: "In this case, as the mattress was provided and the teachers have the expertise, if something happened, I can excuse them."

"Otherwise, I cannot accept it and the teachers will have to answer to me. It is a freak accident. It is hard for us to prevent the possibilities," Hishammuddin said after the ministry's post-cabinet meeting.

"Teachers must put in place the mechanism to ensure the discipline of teachers and students, to ensure cleanliness and the safety of our children," he said.

On Wednesday's accident in Kota Tinggi in which two teachers were killed and eight primary school pupils were injured, Hishammuddin said the fact that the car was carrying 10 people did not automatically make it a reason for the crash.

The victims were on the way to a sports meet when the car rammed into a crane.