COMMENT | Comprehensive review of school safety, student well-being needed

COMMENT | We, the members of G25, are deeply disturbed by the series of serious and, in three recent cases, fatal incidents of violence involving school students. In July, a 15-year-old student in Banting was repeatedly stabbed by a schoolmate.

In September, 14-year-old Idlan Fareeq died after allegedly being assaulted by senior students at a school hostel in Kuala Pilah. Most recently, on Oct 3, 16-year-old Irene Sofiya Khairool Faisal was found with serious injuries at a school in Yong Peng and subsequently died.

Just yesterday, on Oct 6, according to an online article by Sinar Harian, a 19-year-old female student in Kuantan was found dead in a rented room. According to the article, the suspected cause of her death was murder.

These incidents within a short period, including three deaths, should compel the government to question why our existing child protection systems are not keeping our children safe.

In October 2025, following the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Yap Shing Xuen at a school in Bandar Utama that month, the Education Ministry announced additional safety measures for schools, including millions allocated for closed-circuit television (CCTV), stronger police monitoring, full-time assistant hostel wardens and a Child Protection Policy.

Earlier that year, in July 2025, 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir (above), a student in Sabah, died after being found unconscious and critically injured near her school hostel. Her death, amid allegations of bullying, prompted a police investigation, an exhumation and post-mortem, and an inquest.

Repeated tragedies

Yet, almost a year later, tragedy has struck repeatedly. Even more concerning is the fact that these recent incidents of child violence and deaths occurred after the ministry launched its Safe School Management Guidelines and Student Protection Policy on June 11, 2026.

The policy included strengthening the physical, social and emotional safety of students, with prevention, monitoring, reporting, intervention and enforcement as its five key pillars.

Unfortunately, the number of bullying cases remains deeply worrying. In the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, as reported by the New Straits Times, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that there have been 5,681 reported bullying cases in schools nationwide between January and August 2026, not including those that go unreported.

It is upsetting to think that child safety is being treated more reactively than proactively despite the preventative policies announced over the years. Counselling teams should not appear only after violence. Safety audits should not be triggered only after a death. CCTV gaps should not become apparent only after a serious incident. Security patrols should not be scrutinised only after a child is found injured or dead.

Prevention must come before tragedy, especially where children are involved, as no solution will ever erase the emotional and physical scars inflicted on the children affected.

We believe the government must also look beyond physical security. CCTV, guards, gates and disciplinary procedures are necessary, but they cannot by themselves address the reasons why some children become deeply distressed, aggressive, isolated or violent.

We must understand the root causes. Our children are growing up in an increasingly pressured environment. Our education system places great emphasis on academic performance, examinations and competition, even though not every child will excel academically.

Children are also more easily exposed to violence online, through entertainment and social media. At the same time, the pressures of the ever-increasing cost of living see both parents working in many households, leaving less time for both parents and children to be at home together. Some children spend more time at school and in transit or tuition centres than at home during the week.

Play, create, explore

Children need more than academic instruction in schools. They need belonging, friendship, purpose, exercise, creativity, confidence and trusted adults whom they can turn to. Schools should therefore not only be places where children can learn, but also where they can play, create, explore and belong, away from heavy academic pressure and online influence.

More sports, music, drama, art, concerts, exhibitions, community activities and outdoor education should not be regarded as distractions from education, but part of a healthy education. As the familiar saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.

For children and adolescents, opportunities for healthy recreation and creativity should not be considered luxuries. They can provide a sense of purpose and belonging, relieve pressure and give children positive outlets for their energy and emotions. A child who is disengaged, isolated or without constructive interests may be more vulnerable to distress and unhealthy behaviour, both in school and at home.

The government should therefore ensure that such opportunities are available to children in all schools, including schools whose parents cannot afford to finance those types of activities which can be expensive.

Outdoor education and supervised trips to forests, rivers, mountains and other natural environments, for example, give children constructive channels for their energy, strengthen healthy relationships and bonds with their classmates, and expose them to exciting and educational experiences beyond the classroom.

If these are recognised as part of holistic education, the ministry should provide adequate funding rather than leaving schools to depend on private donors.

At the same time, teachers cannot be expected to carry every responsibility. Teachers are already under considerable pressure. Every school should have appropriately trained personnel responsible for student well-being, whose role includes identifying vulnerable students, supporting teachers with difficult situations, following up on warning signs and ensuring that safeguarding procedures and policies are actually being implemented and are working.

Parents too need support. A meaningful national strategy must involve children, parents, teachers, school leaders, counsellors, health professionals and the wider community. We need evidence-based programmes adapted to Malaysia's cultural and social circumstances, rather than repeatedly introducing new measures only when a crisis occurs.

Better data analysis, transparency

We also need much better data analysis and transparency. The government cannot properly address a problem that it cannot or will not measure. In this regard, we commend Anwar for warning schools not to conceal bullying or disciplinary cases to protect their reputation. Information on bullying, violence, self-harm, suicide attempts, suicides, absenteeism, disciplinary cases and other indicators of distress should be systematically collected and analysed, with appropriate safeguards for children's privacy.

Where serious concerns about the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents exist, qualified researchers, clinicians, universities and civil-society organisations should be given appropriate access to the data and, where necessary, to schools.

Independent expertise should be welcomed, not kept at arm's length. An effective solution can only be designed if the experts are given the full picture. Such a complex problem cannot be placed on one ministry alone. The government has a special responsibility to make sure schools are more than places where lessons are conducted, but also places where a child is safe, seen, heard and supported, no matter who gets the credit for the solution and its execution.

G25 therefore calls for an independent, comprehensive review of school safety and student well-being, involving stakeholders and experts, rather than a series of separate reviews following each tragedy that is analysed in silo.

It should examine physical security, hostel supervision, CCTV coverage and maintenance, security patrols, after-school and weekend activities, bullying and disciplinary procedures, mental health support, teacher workload, safeguarding and the effectiveness of existing policies.

Every school should have a practical risk assessment identifying vulnerable locations, activities and times, including hostels, halls, staircases, secluded areas and periods outside normal classroom hours, and these assessments should be reviewed regularly.

We recognise that no system can guarantee that every act of violence will be prevented. However, we are concerned that we will continue to see a reactive approach where action is only taken after a crisis, with the announcement of another measure and review, only to move on until the next tragedy. That is not good enough when we are dealing with the safety and lives of children.

We, the members of G25, call on our leaders to demonstrate that they are prepared to confront this problem with the seriousness, resources and sustained leadership that it requires. We do not need another promise after the next tragedy that “we will do better”. We need action and implementation before the next child is harmed.

G25 is a group of influential Malays advocating moderation, constitutional rights, justice, and good governance in Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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