A man suffering from a mental illness rammed his car into a school, injuring 17 children including three who were dragged under the vehicle, reports said today.

Pupils at the primary school in Penang had assembled for a prize-giving rehearsal Tuesday when the 32-year-old driver sped through the gates into the compound, sending the children running for cover.

"The driver was seen slowing down the car before accelerating and driving through the assembled children," the school's headmaster, Abdul Latiff Saidin, was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

"There was a lot of screaming as teachers and pupils ran in all directions," he said.

Three nine-year-olds became trapped under the car and were dragged for a few metres before it became wedged in a drain. Teachers turned the vehicle over to free them and they were treated in hospital for burns and bruising.

The driver, who was handed over to police, last week also tried to ram pupils outside another primary school with a motorcycle, the New Straits Times said.

Police said the man had been arrested for reckless driving and faces five years in jail.